Time to Heal
by eat-drums
Summary: Two years have passed since Rose was separated from the Doctor. Life goes on as normal at Torchwood, but when a strange device of alien origin appears Rose's hope is rekindled. Reunion fic set between Lazarus experiment & 42
1. Prologue: Moving On

**Title: **Time to Heal

**Author: **eat-drums

**Pairing/s: **Rose10

**Rating: **T (to be safe – mostly for last chapters)

**Spoilers:** Set between Lazarus Experiment and 42, so possible mild spoilers for early Season 3

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Doctor Who, any of the characters or mentioned story lines and lines. I do own the plot and two OCs. _

_**A/N **__There comes a point in every Doctor Who fic writer's career when she must write the inevitable reunion fic. And my time is now! This is the longest fic I've written for AGES and the first I've ever published so please be kind! I hope you enjoy it – and please review if you like it…reviews make me happy! _

_**A/N 2**__ This story is already more-or-less finished so expect about 12 chapters and regular updates. ___

**Time to heal**

**Prologue - Moving On**

_They say that time can heal...They lied_

The Doctor stood next to the TARDIS console. His brow was furrowed in deep thought, and his eyes told stories of years of misery. He was over nine-hundred-years old. He had lost his family, his planet, his entire species and many friends. He would be sad, he would grieve, but the wound would heal to form another scar and he would move on; but one wound just refused to heal – Rose. He had known so many women of all species in his long life but none like Rose. He couldn't explain what it was that he loved about her, but he knew that he loved her more than anything in the universe. That day at Canary Warf, he had sent her away…but she had come back, and he knew beyond any doubt that they were meant to be together. Then he lost her. He felt like his hearts had been ripped from his chest, and when he failed to tell her his true feelings he became numb and empty. He had once been a great believer in the healing power of time…but not now. Ten years had gone by for him and the wound still gaped, open and sore. He ran his hands through his messy brown hair and sighed. He was tired of living, but he still lived on.

_That's the curse of the Timelords – Life_

_How long has it been for him?_

Time in the two universes moved differently…but she wasn't sure there was a pattern. For her it had been two years…it was two years since she had been separated from the Doctor. Rose Tyler sat crossed legged on her bed, remembering. She had hoped that in time she would hurt less, but time didn't weaken the pain – it only made it worse. Every time she thought of him she would go through the same process. She would smile and rejoice in the memory, then she would cry for his loss, wonder what he was doing and then the pain would hit, right at the core of her being. She was fed up of people telling her to move on. They didn't understand. She sometimes felt like a fool for wasting her time dreaming of a life she could never have. She knew the Doctor wouldn't want that for her. He wanted her to have the one adventure he could never have – a normal life. She got up every morning, went to work, socialised with her colleagues, went home, went to sleep and repeated; The very definition of normal...but the problem was, she wasn't normal anymore…

_That's the curse of the Bad Wolf - Life_


	2. A Normal Life

_**A/N**__ So! Here we are – chapter one! I thought I'd put this up tonight and dedicate it to all the Who fan (myself included!) who are having to suffer the Eurovision instead of getting to see 42!!! ARGH!!!_

_Thank you to everyone who read, and especially to those who reviewed – reviews make me soooo happy! You guys rock! Have a virtual chocolate biccie from me! _

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Doctor Who (sigh). I only write for fun and don't profit from my work!_

_**Explanatory note: **__I feel slightly compelled to explain a little something…I have made our poor Doctor travel around on his own for almost ten years between leaving Donna and meeting Martha. (Who will be appearing in the next chapter!) This is just a little plot device of mine to increase the impact of the Doctors feelings for Rose, and eventually to help Rose overcome her insecurities about being 'forgotten'. OK…that was pretty pointless but I feel better now! _

**1 – A Normal life**

7.00 – the tinny beep of the alarm clock sounded, but Rose was already awake. Some days she didn't want to wake up from her dreams…dreams about good times with the Doctor and dreams of the future she never got to have with him. Other nights she would fall into a fitful sleep filled with nightmares, of past horrors and imagined ones. For the first year she slept only when absolutely necessary and spent her nights studying. One of the lessons she had learned from her Doctor was that she was actually worth something – she wasn't useless and destined for a dead end in life as she once thought. She worked hard and got her A-levels by night, and by day she worked at Torchwood. Now, she would just sit up and think about him, and record her memories. She had kept a diary aboard the TARDIS with her photographs and all her precious memories recorded, but now that was in the other world with the Doctor and she was determined to make sure she wrote everything down, absolutely everything, so that she would never forget…never ever.

Rose sighed, running her fingers through her tangled hair. She got up from the bottom of her bed where she had been sitting, writing her memoirs and started to get ready for work.

Fifteen minutes later she arrived downstairs in the huge mansion kitchen, where she found Pete (she still couldn't bring herself to call him Dad) already eating his breakfast and throwing a ball for her parallel world counterpart – Rose the dog.

"Morning…" She said, unenthusiastically.

"Morning Rose – you look wrecked." Pete said through a mouthful of cornflakes.

"Nothing new there I'm afraid." She smiled vaguely and went to fridge to get some juice. "Where's mum and Matthew?"

"Still sleeping…."

"Small miracle that is…" Rose smiled a little and she sat down at the table opposite Pete and stared at her orange juice.

"Mmmm…" Pete said. He never really knew what to say to Rose when she was like this. She'd been thinking about _him_ again.

She talked in her sleep. Jackie said she always had since she was a little girl. On a good night they may not hear her at all or they would hear her murmur and chuckle from past happiness. But on a night like last night…she would go to bed and they would all sleep. Then, in the early hours of the morning they would hear her. She would sound like she was in pain. She would call his name and tell him that she loved him and then her light would click on and she wouldn't sleep again for a few days. Jackie was worried out of her mind, but nothing she said or did seemed to help her daughter.

Rose sighed and looked out the window. She looked at the clear blue sky – another day. She used to love looking at the sky, especially at night, but she couldn't anymore. Every time she looked at the stars she would wonder where he was, and what adventures he was having without her.

"Rose? Rose? Are you ready?"

"Wha'?" Pete was tapping her gently on the shoulder. "Oh, sorry." She shook herself.

"We're going to be late for work. You really should take something you know – to help you sleep. You're going to drive yourself into an early grave at this rate."

Rose sighed and grabbed her jacket before following him out the door. It was just another day at the Tyler mansion, and another day at Torchwood.

After the final defeat of the Cybermen, Pete had been offered a high managerial position in Torchwood and he used his influence to get Rose into a good position once she was ready to go back to work. Her extensive experience and knowledge of aliens had proved to be very useful to the facility, and it was going from strength to strength. The other members of staff were initially taken aback by the appearance of this 'lost daughter' that none of them had ever heard of, and most were cold towards her, assuming she was only given a high position because her Dad was such an important man. That was the way Rose liked it – it meant that she didn't have to waste her energy on trying to be sociable for the first few months. She had been in such a fragile state when she started work that if anyone had so much as mentioned a place or a species that she and the Doctor had had encountered, her eyes would fill up and she would have to excuse herself from the meeting.

As time went on Rose began to shut these emotions down. She tried to compartmentise them and only let them out when she was alone. Now, two years down the line she was quite respected by her co-workers and had a good working relationship with them, although she had a feeling that most of them still thought she was strange. That was the way she liked it.

"Morning Mr Tyler, Miss Tyler." The greetings followed them as they walked through Torchwood on their way to their respective offices.

"Rose! Rose!"

"Hi Mickey." Rose smiled as Mickey Smith came skidding down the hall towards them. Then her face fell – he looked far too serious. "What's wrong?" she moved forwards.

"Can I have a word – in private?" he glanced at Pete who nodded and moved away.

Mickey led her into the nearest empty office and paced around the desk.

"Mickey – what is it? Spit it out!" Rose couldn't help smile a little. Then her face fell at the look on Mickey's face.

"You haven't been honest with me…."

_Duh duh duh!! _

_Press the little button – go on! You know you want to! ;) _

_I'll hopefully be updating on Wednesday. I've completed the fic now so I'll put it up quite quickly. _


	3. Smith and Jones

_**A/N **__Okay Okay I fold! You win!!! Thank you to everyone who reviewed – here's the next chapter. It's very short, but I just had to end it where I did…I hope you'll see why once you've read it. Don't scream at me….but you're not going to find out what Mickey meant in this chapter. I'm evil – sorry! This isn't one of my favourite chapters but it serves it purpose in setting up the story…so – enjoy! I'll update soon if you nag me enough – so please review! Reviews brighten my dull days! _

**2 – Smith and Jones**

The Doctor looked up from the TARDIS console as his assistant, Martha Jones, walked into the room.

"Hello." She said cheerfully.

The Doctor just grunted a vague reply and looked back at the console. Martha took that as a sign that he wasn't in the mood for conversation and sat down on the rickety seat near the door. She had been travelling with the eccentric alien for a week or two (it was difficult to tell in the TARDIS), and everyday he seemed to get stranger.

They had just taken off again after the Doctor agreed to keep her aboard with no more: 'Just one more trip' promises – she wasn't a passenger anymore, she was officially his 'assistant' – whatever that meant. She was very excited at the prospect of seeing all there was to be seen _'out there'_ before returning home to finish her medical training but was worried about the Doctor. He wasn't exactly a bunch of laughs at the best of times but now it was almost like he had multiple personalities. When the thrill of the chase, the adventure, was on he would get a glint in his eye and he would smile and even laugh. Afterwards he would withdraw into himself, and put up barriers that she just couldn't get down. He was infuriating.

Martha contemplated the man, staring at the console. He looked tired again. She knew that Timelords didn't need as much sleep as humans, he was always complaining that she slept half her life away, but he didn't sleep at all – she was sure of it. And she was pretty sure she knew the reason…the mysterious 'friend'…Rose. Whoever she was, dead or alive, her memory was torturing him.

He didn't mention her name as often anymore, although he was always thinking about her. He had a certain look in his eyes when he did…Martha called it his 'Rose' look, a far off look of sadness and longing. She didn't know what this woman had done to the Doctor but she had obviously left him and hurt him very deeply. She felt a pang of jealousy when she thought of the way the Doctor looked when thinking of her…As she spent more time with him she had realised that he just didn't see her the way that she saw him and that he would never _'like'_ her the way she wanted him to. This didn't stop her from caring. The Doctors behaviour of late had been practically suicidal. Twice in New York he had offered himself up to the Dalek's – surely he didn't expect to survive that? And then, when he was speaking to Dr. Lazarus, he spoke of living as if it were something he had given up on – he just existed now; living was some forgotten game that he no longer cared to play by rules of. He had to survive because he was the last of his kind, and the universe needed him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Martha asked as the Doctor danced around the TARDIS, fiddling with the various knobs and levers.

"Nope." He said simply. He was being very un-doctorish.

"Where are we going?" she stood up and walked over to the console.

He looked at her: "_We_ are not going anywhere. _I_ am going somewhere, and you are going to stay on the TARDIS."

"Why?" Martha put her hand to her hip, and scowled.

"Because…I said so…" He turned back to his controls as the ship bounced around, almost knocking Martha off her feet.

"That's not fair – I want to know where you're going, and why I can't come!"

"I'll tell you if you'll shut up a minute so I can land." He ground out, teeth clenched and brow furrowed.

"Fine." Martha sat back down with a thump and the TARDIS ground to a halt at their destination. "So, where are we?"

"Earth, 2015, London. You stay here – don't argue – the TARDIS won't let you out. I'm going to Canary Warf…" He reached under the console and pulled out a large bunch of red roses. Martha didn't think to ask where he got them.

"Wait – that's where my cousin died…." Martha started, but the Doctor interrupted.

"That's where _I_ died…."

Then he was gone.


	4. Side Effects

_**A/N **__Hello all! I've got the next chapter ready after a bit of editing. This was a tricky one to write…We're heading back to Pete's world to find out what Mickey was talking about. The ideas I've used in this chapter may well have been explored by others before – I honestly don't know…but I hope it makes some sense! _

_A huge thank you to all my lovely reviewers – you know who you are! Have custard cream on me! _

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Doctor Who, or the characters from the show. I just own the slightly crazy story line! I only write for fun and don't profit from my work. _

**3 – Side-effects**

"_You haven't been honest with me…"_

"What do you mean, Mickey?" Rose asked, sitting down on the edge of the desk, and looking at her friend.

"I mean this…" Mickey held up a piece of paper. Rose squinted at it, then took it to look at it properly. It was her medical records from the Torchwood computers.

She frowned "No-one's supposed to have these…they're confidential."

"Confidential? Confidential?! I'm supposed to be your best mate! Why didn't you tell me?" Mickey's face contorted, voice raised.

"I didn't tell anyone…" Rose said softly, touching Mickey's arm. "No-one knows except the medical staff. I didn't want to worry everyone." She looked at the floor.

"Worry doesn't even begin to cover it Rose! I was just doing computer maintenance and I find this?" Mickey looked on the point of tears now. "How the hell did this happen?!"

"Sit down Mickey before you make yourself dizzy." She half smiled, but Mickey didn't. His face remained sombre.

"How long have you known about this?" He asked her.

"I found out six months after we came back from Norway." She

"So…the Doctor didn't know?"

"No…he has no idea about it." Rose shook her head, "I was fine after it happened and we didn't have a lot of time to discuss it - there was a lot going on with the regeneration, then the Sycorax, then New Earth and the…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture." Mickey was still a bit sore when Rose spoke about all the adventures she had without him, because it reminded him that her happiest memories were one's which didn't involve him. "So – what _exactly_ does this mean – how _exactly _did it happen?" Mickey waved his hand at the medical records on the desk.

"Well…you remember that I opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the energy of the Time Vortex to go and save the Doctor…" Rose began.

"And the Universe incidentally…" Mickey rolled his eyes – it was always the Doctor first, everything else second.

She smiled, vaguely. "Yeah…I guess. So, I don't really remember what happened, but I know I became the 'Bad Wolf'. The Doctor said that no one could survive absorbing the Time Vortex, not even him. He took the vortex from me to save my life, and gave up one of his. That's why he regenerated. After the invasion at Christmas we never spoke about it much. The Doctor did a full check up, which was normal, and asked me to tell him if I experienced any side-effects…he had a list." She smiled in remembrance, "but none of them ever manifested. Then, when I was attacked by that vampyric-Molenston last year the medical team wanted to do a full profile of me, DNA, cell counts and types…blah blah, just to make sure that nothing 'un-natural' had got into my system. They found that my cell cycle of aging has slowed to almost a standstill…my cells are still splitting and renewing but they aren't aging as normal 'mortal' cells do, and they couldn't find anything to do with the Molenston that could have caused it." Rose paused for breath and gazed out the window, a far off look in her eyes. "The first thing that sprung to my mind was the Doctor and the TARDIS…then the time vortex. I told the head of staff my story about being the Bad Wolf, and he agreed with me that if any such technology did exist, then _'there was a vague possibility that it could have a strange effect'_ on human cells…_'but you're just throwing hypothetical scenarios about now, aren't you Miss Tyler?'_ he said." Rose stopped and laughed. "He really didn't believe me…but then_ I_ knew it was true." She looked at the floor.

"But I thought the power of the vortex killed cells, not made them stronger?" said Mickey, puzzled.

"That's what the Doctor said…but he removed the vortex from me…I suppose maybe some residual energy or something could have had a different effect…I really don't know. Maybe we never will." Rose sighed.

"What did the doctor, the medical one, say – about the cells. What does it mean for you?" Mickey looked incredibly concerned.

Rose took a deep breath: "It means that my aging process has slowed down…practically stopped. It's not like the Doctor with his regenerations – I'm still just an average human - only got this one body, this one life…but my body has become supercharged with energy from the TARDIS…it's made me immune to most illnesses and it's stopped my cells from weakening and dying. It means….it means…I'm gonna live…a long time."

"For how long?" Mickey's eyes were wide with concern.

Rose took a deep breath, and avoided looking at him. "The doctor's not sure…but he thinks, that at the current rate, if nothing changes, and I don't get killed." She half smiled "for anything between three and five-hundred years. He thinks I'll age eventually, but he's not sure whether it will happen gradually or if it will be sudden in few hundred years time…and I'll just pop it. Imagine – looking young for hundreds of years….most girls dream of that…" Then she broke.

"Rose….Oh my God…Rose I'm so sorry!" Mickey hugged her tightly as her tears started to flow.

Rose laughed mirthlessly: "It's ironic isn't it? I would have given anything to live hundreds of years with the Doctor – so that he wouldn't be alone, so that we wouldn't be parted. Once, he said to me, that it wasn't fair that I could spend the rest of my life with him but he couldn't spend the rest of his life with me…and now…now I've got a taste of the curse of the Time Lords – now we're both alone."


	5. Trying to Understand

_**A/N**_ _Hiya everyone! Right…savour this update because I doubt you'll be getting another one until next Monday. The joy of Uni exams! Oh well…So, this chapter – I'm not 100 happy with it; I've re-written it about ten times! It's a bit of a filler that I needed to get in because I really wanted to make Martha understand about Rose! So, there's a lot of nicked dialogue which you'll recognise from the series…_

_Thanks again to everyone who reads, reviews or has this story on alert! PLEASE review it if you have a minute - just a few words to say 'yey, I like it' or "Meh – I'm not bothered'. Reviews make me sooo happy, and believe me, I need it with a Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphic exam coming up…I'll give you all a nice cuppa tea and a biccie! ;) _

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Doctor Who, any of the characters or any of the dialogue quoted from the series. I just bring the characters out to play in my own storylines. I only write for fun and don't profit from my work._

**4 – Trying to understand**

Martha tugged once more at the doors of the TARDIS, but knew it was no good. As irritating as it was, she knew that when the Doctor said something, he meant it. 

She sighed and turned back to face the console. She was fed up of him being so cryptic about Rose. He was behaving like a typical bloke. Who was she? Why wasn't she here with him now? Why was she _'with her family'_ – did that mean she was dead?

Martha realised that he was hurting inside – he wasn't looking for someone new to travel with, she had been an accident, but she knew he needed someone – just to remind him that he was still alive. He talked about his 'friend' Rose…but he wouldn't open up about her. Now she was in too deep and she needed to know – she needed to understand.

The TARDIS hummed away, and chuckled slightly at the human girls frustration when she couldn't get out. The old ship sighed. She quite liked the new human, and thought she would make a good friend for the Doctor, as long as she didn't get the wrong idea about their relationship. The human girl was obviously worried and confused and the TARDIS decided that if the Doctor wouldn't tell her about Rose and his feelings for her then she would – it might make her understand…

Martha jumped as, suddenly, a hologram appeared next to the console.

"What on earth..." she whispered as she moved towards it. It was a hologram recording of the Doctor – the same fuzzy hair, same facial features, but wearing an expression so sad it could break anyone's heart, and tears stains on his cheeks. Intrigued, Martha pulled a battered chair in front of it and sat down as it said:

"This is memory recording one…." The hologram sniffed "Some of my memories of Rose…." Then the face of the Doctor that Martha knew disappeared and an older, very different face appeared in his place.

The scene didn't seem to playing out through the Doctor's eyes because she could see what was going on all around – it was very Harry Potter…like the Pensive. The strange man in a leather coat was creeping around a large store room with a…sonic screwdriver. Martha gasped – was that _the_ Doctor? The man ran around a corner and grabbed the hand of a girl who was being attacked by walking dummies. He just said one word: "Run…."

The scene faded into the girl running out of a door. The man, now fiddling with a strange device in his hand said: "I'm the Doctor, by the way, what's your name?"

"Rose." The girl replied.

"Nice to meet you, Rose." The Doctor waved the device in his hand with an instantly recognisable manic grin: "Run for your life!" Then he slammed the door.

So…that was Rose, and that strange man with a Northern accent and funny ears was the Doctor. Unbelievable! She wondered briefly how on earth it was possible – could it be the same Doctor? _The _Doctor? The holographic Doctor had said they were _his _memories…

She pushed her questions to the back of her mind as the next scene came up – the Doctor offering his hand to Rose as they stood watching something. Rose took it as the scene faded into them walking down a street holding hands and Rose nuzzling her head against his shoulder.

Martha felt a pang of jealousy shoot through her as she continued to watch how close they were. They just seemed to understand and complement each other…the looks, the hand holding, the teasing. She watched the look on the Doctor's face when Rose appeared in Victorian dress: "You look beautiful" he said…She watched as strange zombie creatures advanced on them, and the Doctor took Rose's hand and told her how glad he was that he met her.

Martha gasped in shock as the Doctor risked lives to stop a Dalek from killing Rose and became even more intrigued as the reel of holographic memories continued to unfold – there were hugs, loads of smiles and laughing and even a few dances.

Then the unfamiliar Doctor disappeared and the familiar skinny, messy haired Doctor she knew re-appeared.

"Then…then came the Dalek's – the Dalek Emperor himself. At Satellite Five I thought I was going to loose her. I sent Rose away in the TARDIS but she came back. She opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the energy from the Time vortex. She saved me, she destroyed the Daleks, she saved the universe. I had to take the energy from her to save her or she would have died. The vortex damaged my body beyond repair and so I regenerated and fell into a coma. Rose took care of me, nursed me and we defeated the Sycorax together when they invaded earth. Now I was the new Doctor – same man, different face…but would she still want to come with me?"

Martha tried to comprehend the idea of 'regeneration' for a moment, but the whole idea of it made her head hurt. "Unbelievable…" She muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

The holographic Doctor faded into a night scene where it was snowing. The Doctor and Rose were standing by the familiar blue shape of the TARDIS.

Rose was speaking: "And what about you? What are you gonna do next?"

The Doctor looked a bit shocked: "Well…back to the TARDIS…same old life."

"On…on your own?" Rose asked tentatively.

And suddenly he was gibbering like a love struck teenager: "Why, don't you wanna come?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you, though?" He was searching her eyes for an answer, and Martha smiled.

"Yeah." Rose said, quickly.

"I just thought…'cause I changed…"

"Yeah, I thought, 'cause you changed…you might not want me anymore." Rose looked uncertain but the Doctor cut across her, his eyes wide and sincere.

"I'd love you to come!"

"Okay…" Rose beamed at him and he beamed back. They both laughed.

The bloke in the background that Martha didn't know stared at the ground and said: "You're never gonna stay, are you?"

The Doctor and Rose turned to look at him, and Rose said: "There's just so much out there. So much to see…gotta really."

The other woman, which Martha assumed was Rose's mum said: "Well, I reckon you're mad. The pair of you. It's like you go looking for trouble."

The Doctor bounced over to her – he was so happy. "Trouble's just the bits in-between!" He put his arm around her shoulder. "It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's brand new to me. All those planets…creatures and horizons…I haven't seen them yet! Not with these eyes…" He grinned and went back to Rose. He looked at her, grinning from ear to ear. "And…it is gonna be…fantastic."

Rose smiled at him and he held out his hand.

"That hand of yours still gives me the creeps." Rose pointed at the aforementioned hand and smiled.

The Doctor just grinned wider, if that was possible, and wiggled his fingers. Rose took his hand and they looked up at the sky as Rose stepped closer to him, brushing snow from his arm.

"So, where're we gonna go first?" She asked, looking up at him.

The Doctor looked at her and then up at the sky, pointing: "Umm…that way. No, hold on…that way." He adjusted the way he was pointing slightly. Rose looked at where he was pointing and then pointed in the same direction.

"That way?" she asked. Then the Doctor looked at her – his eyes wide with wonder. He broke into a huge grin as Rose looked at him.

At that moment, all the jealousy Martha had been feeling towards Rose left her. The way that the Doctor looked at her then…he was so happy – he was living, and he loved her.

Before that moment she wasn't entirely sure that the Doctor was capable of _that_ kind of love…but now she knew beyond any doubt. It was written all over his face. Now she knew – Rose was far more than a friend. She still didn't understand, though – what happened to Rose? Why had she broken his hearts?

She watched on, seeing the hugs, the smiles, and the tears as both of them began to realise that Rose could spend her life with him but he could not spend the rest of his life with her. She watched as they both fell deeper and deeper, getting caught up in a fairytale love story…but how did it end?

She saw the Doctor saying to an unseen woman: " If they get back in touch…if you talk to Rose…tell her I…" Martha held her breath, but he didn't say it. Instead he simply said: "Oh…she knows." Then he fell.

The next scene saw the Doctor in front of what appeared to be some kind of hell beast. It was huge and the Doctor was staring it down, having a one sided conversation with it.

"If I destroy your prison, your body is destroyed. Your mind with it." He picked up a large rock and made to swing it at a large vase. He stopped abruptly. "But then you're clever enough to use this whole system against me. If I destroy this planet, I destroy the gravity field. The rocket. The rocket loses protection and falls into the black hole. I'll have to sacrifice Rose." He stopped, a look of disgust on his face. Then he looked at the beast again. 

**"**So, that's the trap. Or the test or the final judgment, I don't know. But if I kill you, I kill her. " The beast laughed and roared at him. "Except that implies - in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils - that she's just a victim. But I've seen a lot of this universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi gods and would-be gods - out of all that - out of that whole pantheon - if I believe in one thing... just one thing..._" _His eyes were wide and his voice passionate_ "_I believe in _her_." And with that he picked up the rock and smashed both of the jars.

Was that it, Martha wondered? Had the Doctor lost Rose? No…because then she saw the Doctor on board the TARDIS in the same bright orange space suit he had been wearing in front of the devil…and then, coming through the door was Rose. She smiled and the Doctor smiled back as they both ran to meet each other in a crashing hug. The Doctor lifted Rose off her feet and they both grinned and giggled – so overjoyed to see each other again…but the scene faded into the Doctors solemn tear stained face.

"But then came the ghosts…then came Torchwood, the Cybermen, the Daleks – the war. Then came the day that I lost her forever. They all came through from the void and from the parallel world. We had to close it but Rose was pulled towards the void as she tried to save the world. Pete, her dad, but not her real dad, from the parallel world came back just in time to grab her and take her back to his world. But that was it – no going back. My Rose was gone forever."

Martha could feel tears stinging her eyes but she blinked them back and one more scene unfolded. She could see Rose, looking sad, on the middle of a beach. The Doctor appeared out of thin air, but remained translucent. Rose moved towards him: "Where are you?"

"Inside the TARDIS." He said, softly. "There's one tiny gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a super nova." He laughed softly, his eyes pained. "I'm burning up a sun….just to say goodbye."

Rose was on the point of tears: "You look like a ghost."

"Hold on…" The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver, presumably at the TARDIS console and he became clearer.

"Can I t…." Rose began, reaching for his face.

"I'm still just an image. No touch." He said, voice filled with regret.

Martha watched, feeling her eyes fill up again as they talked, feeling the emotion radiating from them…neither knowing what to say to make it better because nothing could.

"Here you are." The Doctor smiled, though it was a sad smile. "Living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have."

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Rose sobbed.

"You can't…" answered the Doctor quietly, as if it was the most difficult thing in the world to say.

"I lo…" Rose began, but she shook with sobs. She tried again. "I love you…"

The Doctor looked at her then with heartrending tenderness and devotion…such love shone in his sad eyes that it made Martha finally give way to silent tears.

"Quite right too…" The Doctor said, very softly. He looked at her: "And I suppose…if it's my last chance to say it…" He paused, his eyes locked with hers. "Rose Tyler…" but his time was up and he faded.

He was stood alone in the TARDIS, tears spilling down his cheeks with his mouth open ready to form the words he didn't get to say. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes and then the hologram shut off.

Martha shuddered and wiped her eyes. She suddenly felt terribly guilty for flirting with the Doctor just because she had a bit of a crush on him…she didn't even know how long it had been since he had lost Rose.

Then she remembered the pained look in his eyes that day in New York when she had said: _'There's someone for everyone.'_ And now she knew – Rose was his 'someone', and she had been snatched away from him._  
_


	6. Unknown Technology

_**A/N**__ Hey guys! I know, I know – I said Monday! Sorry! Just got in from an exam…bleh, so I thought I'd post this and hope loads of your lovely reviews would cheer me up! I hope you're all enjoying the story – please take a moment to click that little button and leave a comment…I'll give you all a banana daiquiri! Thank you! And it's back to Pete's world…._

_**Disclaimer **__I don't own Doctor Who…(sigh)… I just write fanfic for fun and I don't profit from my work! _

**5 – Unknown technology**

"You can never tell anyone, Mickey. You have to promise me…at least not yet." Rose had wiped her eyes and was sitting back on the edge of the desk, playing nervously with a post-it-note.

"People will have to know eventually Rose. What about your mum?" Mickey caught her gaze.

"Oh don't…." Rose put her head back in her hands. "She'll just blame the Doctor and spend the rest of her days cursing his name. I couldn't live with that."

"Miss Tyler! Miss Tyler!!" Rose's secretary, Jane came running down the hall, desperately searching for her.

"I'm in here Jane." Rose called, standing up and wiping her eyes once more.

The flustered young woman rushed in to the office upon hearing Rose's voice.

"Oh, thank God! Mr Tyler needs to see you in his office right away! He said it was urgent." She said quickly.

"Did he say what it was about?" Mickey asked, standing up next to Rose.

"Something about a new artefact." Jane shrugged. "He wouldn't say…but you'd better hurry. It sounded pretty important."

Rose and Mickey walked to the lift at the end of the long corridor. Mickey pushed the button for the top floor. Rose hated going up there, and he knew it. Pete had had his office put in the place where the void breach had been closed off, as a reminder of the danger that had lain there. He said it made him feel stronger.

Rose felt positively sick as she entered the office. It was still cold and white, as it had been the day she had arrived there and had pounded at the wall with her fists…desperate to somehow get back through the closed void. She was shaken out of her thoughts by Pete approaching her.

"What took you so long? Rose, come and see – this is amazing!" he said excitedly as Rose and Mickey entered his office.

"What is it Pete? What's been found?" Rose was intrigued.

"Well… we don't really know; that's why it's so exciting! It was in my office when I got here – not idea where it came from! It is definitely alien…it's covered in a strange language – not one we have on record."

"Where is it?" Rose asked, feeling quite excited at the prospect of something new, but ever so slightly wary – how on earth had it ended up in Pete's office?

"This way. Mickey wait there." Mickey looked irritated, but Pete didn't seem to notice. He led Rose out of his office and down the corridor to the nearest lab. "Owen is keeping an eye on it for me."

Rose rolled her eyes and muttered: "Just about the only thing he's good for…" 

Owen was one of Torchwood's resident whiz kids, but he was in Rose's bad books for almost blowing up the whole institute when he mistook a Martian explosive device for a white board cleaner. 

"Oh come on Rose, it was an easy mistake to make!" Pete insisted.

"Whatever…" Rose replied, not in the mood to get in an argument. She followed Pete into the lab, seeing the artefact on a bench in the middle of the room. It was quite small…she approached for a better look. It was a box, the shape of a hexagon, small enough to fit into the palm of her hand. It looked black at first, but as Rose looked at it from different angles the colour changed, as if sensing someone was looking at it. The top was slightly worn as if it had been held a lot by hand, and the sides were covered in a script that she recognised immediately…. she gasped.

"Has anyone touched it?" She asked, frowning.

"No – of course not. It's only been handled with tongs." Said Owen, indignantly. "We're not that incompetent…" he tutted.

Rose ignored him and carried on circling the bench, a look of amazement plastered on her face.

"What is it Rose? Do you recognise it?" Pete asked, studying her expression.

"No…" she said thoughtfully, "But I recognise the writing…its Gallifreyan." 

"It can't be…" Pete said, looking shocked. "I thought the last traces of Gallifrey were the TARDIS, the Doctor and that Dalek prison ship? Besides…Gallifrey doesn't exist in this universe..."

"That's just it – I don't understand…you don't think it could have…" Rose bit her lip and turned to look at Pete.

"The breach? No…it couldn't. The Doctor said it was impossible once it was sealed." Pete dismissed her suggestion.

Rose nodded, but in her mind she heard the voice of her Doctor: _'Rose...__**nothing**__ is impossible…'_  
"But…what if something inside the void caused…I don't know – a small tear?" Rose suggested, unwilling to let it go.

"That still wouldn't explain where this Gallifreyan device came from…" Pete said, not convinced.

"Unless one of the imprisoned Daleks had it…and…" Her imagination took flight.

"…They wanted us to find it…" Pete turned to face Rose, and looked at her hard for a moment. "I don't know…it all sounds a bit…"

Owen tuned out from the conversation and turned his attention to the door. There was an unfamiliar middle-aged woman standing there. She was wearing a formal tweed skirt and jacket, her hair was in a tight bun and the expression she wore told him that she had a very high opinion of herself.

"Can I help you?" Owen asked, tentatively. 

"Ruth Campbell-Jones." She pointed to her security ID "I'm the new language consultant."

This drew the attention of Rose and Pete, who stopped their discussion to turn their attention to her.

"Language consultant?" Rose whispered to Pete

"Yep – thought she might be useful. She's a genius with language…she could speak half a dozen languages by the time she was ten and she was the first linguist to single-handedly decode an alien language." Pete whispered back.

"Mr Tyler, I don't believe I've been introduced to this young lady." Said Ms Campbell-Jones, cutting through the whispers.

"I'm sorry." Said Pete, remembering his manners. "This is Rose Tyler – one of Torchwoods most experienced and knowledgeable members of staff."

"Pleased to meet you." Rose nodded to the older woman.

"Experienced? She can't be older than 21…" Ms Campbell-Jones shook her head, and then caught sight of the Gallifreyan 'box'. "So this is what you want to me to take a look at Mr Tyler?"

"That won't be necessary, thank you." Pete said, smiling. "Rose has already identified the language. It isn't one that you know; but thanks for coming at such short notice."

Rose rolled her eyes…he was hardly tactful.

"I think _I _shall be the judge of what I do and do not know, thank you." said Ms Campbell-Jones, clearly annoyed. "Perhaps Miss Tyler would be so kind as to enlighten me on what she _thinks_ the language is before I examine it?"

Rose felt her blood begin to boil…_'snooty old cow'_

"It is Gallifreyan." Rose looked straight at Ms Campbell-Jones "And I don't _think_ it is…I _know _it is." She finished, coldly.

"Interesting…" The older woman gave Rose a patronising smile "Especially interesting seeing as there is no such language."

"Ah…but you're new here Ms Campbell-Jones…you don't know…" Pete began to say, as the woman approached the bench where the box had been placed. 

"No! Don't…." Rose cut across him as she saw her reach for the box with her bare hand, but it was too late. Ms Campbell-Jones had touched the box. She drew back sharply as a bright blue light shone from the centre momentarily, and then went out again.

"You stupid old cow!" Rose screeched. "What have you done?!"


	7. The Walls of Reality

_**A/N **__Hello my lovelies! I've just finished an exam so it's time for an update! I'm genuinely surprised and happy that so many of you like this story! I'm sooo happy! But you all know what would make me happier! Review, review, review! Hee hee hee! I'm a review junkie – and I really appreciate hearing your comments, criticism, or ideas! I love hearing what readers want. _

_Just in case anyone is interested I've started writing the sequal which, among other things, involves the return of Captain Jack – let me know if you want to read it once I've finished posting this one. _

_Enjoy! _

**6 – The Walls of Reality  
**  
"Everyone, stay calm." Pete said, grabbing Rose's hand to keep her away from Ms Campbell-Jones.

Several other members of staff had rushed into the lab when they saw the flash of light, but everything else remained still. "See…it's OK" Pete said quietly. "Just a glitch – everyone back to work."  
The room cleared slowly with the employees muttering amongst themselves, but Rose wasn't satisfied. She spun around and glared at Pete. 

"Nothing? You call that nothing?! She just activated a piece of Time Lord technology that appeared from no-where. How can that be OK?!" Rose had a horrible feeling in her gut. She had never thought herself clever, but she knew to trust her gut instinct…and her gut was screaming at her to go and check the breach. She turned on her heel and ran back down the corridor to Pete's office. 

"Rose – where are you going?" Pete and Ms Campbell-Jones chased after her. "Owen – stay and keep an eye on that...thing." He called as he ran out the door. 

Owen huffed – he always got the boring jobs. 

"Rose, what the hell was that?" Mickey asked, running down the corridor towards her as she approached the office. 

"They've got…they've got Gallifreyan technology – some idiot touched it..." Rose didn't stop. She ran into the office and straight to the wall behind Pete's desk. Mickey stood behind her, knowing better than to ask questions. 

Rose laid a hand on the wall, trying to calm herself down. It was probably nothing…but she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. She reached into her jacket with trembling hands and pulled out a battered pair of kids 3D glasses. She put them on and gasped, backing away from the wall. She didn't know what to feel…first came horror and then came hope. 

"Rose – what is it?" Mickey's hand on her shoulder shook her out of her trance. 

Rose couldn't speak. She just handed the glasses to Mickey, her hands still shaking. Mickey took them and tentatively put them on, looking at the wall. He could see…. 

"Oh my God….it can't be…" 

"Can't be what?" Pete asked, from the door of the office, sounding irritated. 

"It's the breach Pete – there's a hole….there's void stuff leaking through." Rose said, her voice shaking as much as her hands. 

"That's impossible…" Pete rushed forward, but then something began to glow at the centre of the wall. Then the one thing Rose had not wanted to see began to appear. First came the eye stalk….and then the tall metal shell… 

"Run!" she yelled. Pete and Mickey didn't need telling twice – they ran as fast as they could out the door. Rose followed, but Ms Campbell-Jones was rooted to the spot, staring at the emerging Dalek. Rose tried to pull her but she just won't move, so Rose ran. As she turned the corner she heard the awful screech of: "Exterminate!", but then…nothing. "Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Dalek screeched, but there was still nothing. 

Rose gathered her courage and turned back to the office. 

"Rose! No!" Mickey yelled from his position near the lift, but Pete dragged him back. 

"What's the matter Dalek?" Rose asked, half smiling as she took in the scene in the office. The Dalek turned around and looked at her. Ms Campbell-Jones was sat on the floor near the door, gibbering about 'giant pepper pots', but she was unharmed. 

"Who are you? What is your rank?" The Dalek asked, looking at the human before it. 

"Oh, I'm no-one you might just want to kill me." Rose shrugged casually, although her hands were shaking. 

"I do not understand…Do you mock the supremacy of the Daleks?" 

"Yes – I mock the Daleks! I killed your Emperor, I killed his army and I sucked the Cult of Skaro and all the rest of you into that void." She pointed at the wall. 

"You are an enemy of the Daleks!" The Dalek moved forwards. 

"That's me." Rose said casually. "Get on with it then!" _'I must be mad…'_ she thought, closing her eyes and hoping for the best. 

"Exterminate…exterminate!" The Dalek tried to fire, but nothing happened. 

"Oops…" Rose breathed a sigh of relief and put her hand to her mouth, mockingly. "Out of power are we?" 

"I do not understand." 

"I think I do." Said Rose, circling the Dalek carefully. "You've been in that void so long you've lost your power." 

"I need organic material." The Dalek screeched, moving towards Rose. "You are a traveller…I feel your energy! Touch me, save me! I am dying!" it croaked, dropping its eye to look at the floor. 

"Don't even try it." Rose gritted her teeth. "Now – tell me what is going on! How did you get here? What are your orders?" 

"I do not give up my orders…You are an enemy of the Daleks!" 

"I have a proposition…Dalek." Rose continued to move around the Dalek, it's eye following her. "If you tell me your orders then…" 

"Then we won't kill you…yet." Came a familiar voice from the hall. 

Rose turned around and saw a section of Torchwood security, headed by Mickey, standing by office door with guns pointing at the Dalek. 

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" it yelled, rolling towards them. 

Rose saw Mickey wink and she ran, dragging Ms Campbell-Jones with her. She pulled her behind the desk just in time as Mickey called: "Open fire!" 

The fire from Torchwoods alien weaponry had the desired effect. They backed the Dalek into the corner, carefully keeping it away from the void breach. Rose watched as the weapons began to damage the Dalek's outer defences, which were already weak. 

"Stop! STOP!" She yelled, managing to get the men to cease firing. "I need to talk to it!" 

"Emergency temporal shift! Emergency temporal shift!" The Dalek yelled, but it didn't have enough power to even perform its emergency escape manoeuvre. It was trapped. 

"Now…" Rose said, making her way forwards through the armed staff. "Tell me what you know, or we will kill you." 

"You cannot! You cannot! The Daleks must survive! You must not exterminate our superior race!" 

"Then talk!" Rose went right up close to the Dalek, staring into the eyepiece, with a lot more confidence than she felt. She was terrified inside, but she knew…there was no Doctor there to help. _She_ had to be the Doctor now. 

The Dalek's eye dropped, looking at the floor again. "I am just a soldier. I follow the orders of our commander in the void." 

"Are you responsible for sending the Time Lord technology through the breach?" 

"My commander was in possession of the technology when our unit was captured during the war. We managed to conceal it from our captors but it is powered by the touch of organic life forms and controlled by emotion. We could not use it." 

"So…wait – is the Time Lord device what they used to use to travel between parallel worlds?" 

"Yes…it was one of their many methods." the Dalek looked around the room, still desperate to find a way out. "Although they had many secret ways of travel that we did know about." 

"How did the device end up here? How did it make a tear in the void if Daleks cannot operate it?" 

"It had just enough power left in it from its previous operator to create a small tear in the fabric through to one reality. Our commander managed to tap into the power, but only after years of experimentation. We did not know which world it would lead us to but we had to escape the void. We used the last of its power to make a small tear in the void wall and then sent it through. I am just the first – I am the reconnaissance mission. I was sent through upon receiving the signal." 

"What signal?" 

"We were to wait until something touched the device, regenerating it, then come through, and make an emotional life-form direct the energy of the powered up device to create a larger hole in the void and allow the escape of the Daleks." 

"What about the Cybermen? They were sucked into the void with you." 

"Cybermen are the enemies of the Daleks - they have been exterminated." 

"But in the process you have lost all your power…you've been in that void too long." Rose smiled. "Your commander has failed." 

"Our commander will not fail! You activated the device, inferior beings! Its activation in this reality will have caused further tears in the void through to the other reality – the place parallel to this where we were consumed. The commander will be waiting for my return. On my return the Daleks will invade both worlds, and we shall rejoin with our supreme leaders, the cult of Skaro!" The Daleks eye lit up and it looked at Rose. 

"That's impossible – the cult of Skaro was sucked into the void with you." She shook her head in disbelief and backed away. 

"Our supreme leaders escaped – they initiated an emergency temporal shift to escape the Doctor, they were not in the void with us. The Daleks will be supreme! We shall destroy you all! EXTERMINATE!" It screeched, rolling forwards once again. 

"Rose – get out of the way!" Mickey yelled, and instructed the staff concentrate fire on the eye. 

"Daleks are supreme! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Dalek screeched as it battled the fire of the alien weaponry, but its weakened armour was failing, and then it burst open, the Dalek inside screeching in agony for a moment before expiring.


	8. A Great Big Button

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who!

**Warnings: **Warning for one strong swear word at the start of this chapter

_**A/N **__Hallo everyone! First of all, apologies for the short length of this chapter, but I just had to end it where I did…you'll understand once you've read it. I hope you enjoy it. _

_A HUGE thank you and big hugs to my lovely reviewers and everyone who has this story on alert. I still want more reviews though! Reviews feed my soul and let me know whether you like what your reading or not! PLEASE take a moment to let me know your thoughts!_

_On an unrelated note, I just started posting another story…not related to this one. It's called 'Trapped'. Have a look if you get a mo – let my know what you think! THANK YOU! _

**7 – A Great Big Button**

Everyone just stood in silence for a few moments, looking at the dead Dalek.

"What the fuck was that?" Someone piped up. 

"That…was a Dalek." Said Rose, quietly. She turned away from the smoking shell to look at Pete, a fire burning in her eyes. "We're all in danger. This whole universe and my universe too. He said there could be a tear in the other side…"

"But the Doctor…the Doctor said it was impossible." Pete looked stunned.

"Believe it or not…the Doctor isn't always right." Rose smiled fondly. "Besides…he didn't know that the Time Lord device still existed."

"What's the plan?" Mickey asked, looking from Rose to Pete, and back again.

"I know how to patch the breach up again." Said Pete, quickly. "We've got alien technology that can hold it shut…but only on this side" He caught Rose's eye and then looked back at Mickey. "We have to do it now and then destroy the Gallifreyan device."

"No!" Rose yelled. "What if…what if there's a tear in the other side – they will invade. They'll destroy it!" Her eyes were wide with fear.

"That's not my concern." Said Pete, coldly. "I'm sorry Rose, but this world is my concern, and it should be yours too. This is your home now."

Rose took a deep breath. She had been expecting Pete to say something like that but it still felt like she'd been stabbed when he did. Of course she was concerned about the world that she was living in…but her mind kept wandering back across the void, back home, back to the Doctor…

"Anyway, there might not even be a tear in the other side." Pete continued, avoiding Rose's eyes.

"There's one way to find out." She said, her eyes blazing. "Come on, let's go." She stormed out of the door, followed by Mickey. Pete quickly dismissed the armed staff giving them instructions on quarantining the Dalek corpse and getting some help for Ms Campbell-Jones and then ran after them.

Rose pushed past Owen and quickly put the Timelord box into a small container using tongs and rushed back out again, Mickey and a puzzled looking Pete in her wake. She led them back to the lift and down to her office – not once speaking.

"What's this about, Rose? I need to close that breach! More Daleks could come through any minute!" Pete ran his hands over his head in frustration, but Mickey didn't say anything. He knew exactly what Rose had in mind…and he knew that he couldn't stop her.

When they got to her office Rose rifled around in her desk drawers, grabbing a few things and then pulled on her coat. She checked her pockets to make sure she had her phone and TARDIS key and then unlocked a secret compartment in her desk. She pulled out a familiar yellow button, and Pete gasped.

"I had those destroyed!"

"Yep…but not this one." She said cheerfully, but she wasn't smiling. "Did you really think I'd give up hope, just like that?" She fiddled with the button for a minute and then it stated to glow. She let out a laugh of pure joy. "It…it works! Mickey – it works!!" She threw her arms around Mickey, who smiled for a moment at seeing her happy, but then his face fell as he realised...

"You're going, aren't you?" he pulled back and looked at her.

"You know I've got to, don't you? I've got to save them…this means that the breach is open again…the Daleks…" Mickey smiled, sadly.

"But more importantly – you have to get back to him."

Rose nodded, a silent tear spilling from the corner of her eye.

"Rose – it's too dangerous. You know what the Doctor said – those things damage the universe!" Pete took her by the shoulders, as if trying to shake some sense into her.

"It's just the one trip Pete. You know I've got to. If I don't there may not be any universe there at all." Then she turned away from him and ran back to the lift, heading back to the top floor. The two men followed her, Pete still desperately trying to talk her out of it.

"This is it." Rose said, putting the button around her neck once they reached the office. "This is the best place to do it – it's where the link is strongest…right by the breach. I don't want any arguments from either of you. As soon as I've gone, seal it. You can't risk any more Daleks coming through. I'm taking the device with me – the Doctor will know what to do with it." Her face was set, a look of determination in her eyes.

"Rose – you could come out at any point in time! The link between the worlds isn't stable – it could be the 51st century or the 15th! Please reconsider! Think of your mum and you little brother!" Pete pleaded. "What am I supposed to tell them?!"

"My mind is made up, Pete. I've got to go before it's too late." She looked seriously at him for a moment before throwing her arms around him. "Thank you for everything. I'll be forever grateful to you – you saved my life."

Pete just nodded; he couldn't think of anything to say as Rose broke from their hug and turned to Mickey. She gave him a huge hug. "Mickey – when I've gone…make him understand…please."

Mickey nodded. "Say hi to the Doctor from me, yeah?" Then he released her so she could turn back to Pete.

"Tell mum…tell her I love her – but I'm going home." Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I'm going home to him…"

Rose pressed the button and with a swirl of light she was gone.


	9. Anniversary

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who, I don't make any money from writing this.

_**A/N **__WOW! That is all I can say! Thank you SOOOOO much to everyone who reviewed Chapter 7 – I was quite literally bouncing on the spot at the response! I'm glad you are all enjoying my story so much. _

_So, as a thanks for your support you get the next chapter sooner than I had planned. I hope it lives up to your expectations…It wasn't an easy one to write. You're probably gonna be baying for my blood when you see where I ended it…sorry! ; ) _

_I hope you enjoy it – and PLEASE leave more lovely reviews! You guys are the best! Big hugs!_

**8 – Anniversary**

The Doctor got into the lift with several members of Torchwood security staff surrounding him. He hated being there. The institution brought out feelings of such hatred, such loathing, but he knew that they were trying to change the way they worked for the better and so repressed the urge to return to 1879 and feed Queen Victoria to that werewolf so that she would never found the cursed place. He had even helped them out of a few tight spots recently, yet they still refused to trust him alone in certain parts of the building…in case he made something 'bad' happen. He chuckled and wondered what they thought he might do if he was let loose on Torchwood. Images of giant blobs of strawberry jam or possessed bananas rampaging around the facility danced in his head. His stomach rumbled and his escort jumped. 

"Here we are..." Said one, a tall, thick set bald man, who looked like he had only recently finished working as a bouncer at a London club. The lift pinged open and he allowed the Doctor to step out first. 

"Do you…" the Doctor stopped and cleared his throat. "Do you mind if we do the same as last time…you let me go in alone?" 

The big man nodded and quietly ushered his men back into the lift and they went back down to the lobby, leaving the Doctor to approach the memorial by himself. 

After the last battle, Torchwood had been repaired and re-staffed and everything went on as normal, although they were, thankfully, much more cautious. The Prime Minister had commissioned a set of plaques for the dead. Family and friends had the option to buy their own special memorials for their loved ones if they wished and they were all placed on the walls, some even on the very wall where the void had been sealed off. The Doctor closed his eyes as he approached. Ten years…and the tenth time he had come to lay flowers for his Rose, yet it was still no easier. He could still hear his scream mingled with hers as she was pulled towards the void… 

He opened his eyes again and stood in front of the wall. There was a smiling picture of Rose with a brass plaque underneath. It read:

'_Rose Tyler: Defender of the Earth'_

_Living the one adventure I cannot_

The Doctor smiled sadly. It was good to see her face. He knew it was stupid, but he still felt closer to her in the cold white room than he did anywhere else. He crouched down in front of her picture and laid the flowers there. 

"Rose…what can I say?" He couldn't believe he was doing it again – he was acting like a stupid human going to talk to a gravestone – but that didn't stop him. "It's been ten years for me now. I don't know how long it will have been for you, but I hope you're happy. I hope Jackie, Pete and the baby are OK…you may even have your own baby by now, as long as it's not Mickey the idiot's."

He smiled a little. "I hope Torchwood is thriving on the other-side. I'm sure it is – they can't go wrong with you around to save the day."

He paused and wiped angrily at his eyes. "I just can't believe it Rose Tyler. What did you do to me? I'm a Time Lord! We're not supposed to feel like this! We're supposed to live, we're supposed to move on!" He stopped and sighed, standing up. "I suppose…I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter. I would have lost you eventually…but it would have been different if you had died. If you died I would have known there was no hope, but you're not dead – you're there, just the other side of that stupid void, and there's nothing I can do to get to you!"

He slammed his fist against the wall, angrily. He had been bottling his emotions up so much with Martha around that he was at breaking point. He crouched down again, his brow furrowed. "I had a dream last night…I dreamt about being back on that planet again – the one with the black hole. I dreamt that I hadn't found the TARDIS and that I hadn't gone looking down in the pit. We got a ride on the ship with the crew and we found ourselves a nice planet. We got jobs, and a mortgage and…and everything…" He smiled, a far off look in his eyes. "The one adventure I can never have, Rose Tyler. I never wanted it…until I met you. Live it – live it for the both of us." His expression became pained as he stood up again. 

"Well…" he said, his cheeky grin returning "I suppose you want to know what I've been up to!"

'_That's it…I've finally cracked'_ he thought to himself, but he just needed to talk…and so he did.

He told 'Rose' about the hospital on the moon, and about Martha, and how he hoped that she didn't mind him having an assistant, but she was a nice girl, and considering he was being practically suicidal he thought it was a good idea to have someone around to stop him when he went too far… 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rose couldn't see anything. Everything was dark – just for a second - and then she was blinded by light.

She shut her eyes.

She couldn't hear anything at first…then there was a voice. She knew that voice…it was warm, gentle and so familiar. She opened her eyes and saw the familiar white of the room she had just left, but the walls were different – they were covered in memorial plaques and wreaths of flowers…and she could hear that voice.

The young woman turned around quietly and there he was. He had his back to her…but it was him. The same converse trainers, the long brown coat and the messy brown hair. _Her _Doctor. She blinked…she thought she was dreaming, but when she opened her eyes he was still there. He was still talking…he was talking nonsense to a photograph of her on the wall.

Rose smiled. What were the chances of that? Materializing when the Doctor was in Torchwood – _'fate'_.

It took all the will she had not to run straight to him and smother him in a hug, to grab him and bury her face in the crook of his neck and never let him go again. She moved very quietly towards him, but he didn't seem to notice there was anyone there; he was too busy chatting to the photograph. He was talking nine to the dozen…something about Shakespeare and J K Rowling. Rose wondered what she should do...Then it hit her.

Holding hands…When they took hands they could say more to each other than they could spoken in any language. She moved forward tentatively, still listening to him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The Doctor sighed, running his hands through his hair and ruffling it up even more, his eyes stinging.

"What's the point…" he said sadly. "I just wish I could _really_ tell you all this Rose. I miss you so much. That thing in the pit. That devil, monstery thingy, whatever it was – it cursed us…I dunno…I know that curses don't exist but…it said you'd die in battle…"

He gasped and his eyes widened as suddenly he felt a warm hand slide into his and squeeze gently. For a moment he thought he was dreaming. He knew that hand anywhere.

His heart rate shot up.

Then her voice pierced the silence…

"It lied."

_A/N I hope that it's OK! Please let me know what you think! The more reviews I get the faster I post…Sorry – I know I'm evil, but I love ya all really! _


	10. Living the Dream

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. I just bring the characters out to play for a bit in my own storylines!

_**A/N **__Well, what can I say except a HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far – you guys are the reason I keep writing! I really appreciate your comments! Please keep reviewing! I'll give you choccie biccies! ; ) (And I update more quickly if I get loadsa reviews!)_

_Okay…so here is there Chapter you've all been waiting for! I hope it lives up to your expectations! There's a lot of plot stuff to deal with the next few chapters so fluff lovers bear with me – there's a fluff fest at the end of the story as a reward! Yey! _

**9 – Living the dream**

"Impossible…" The Doctor let out a breathy gasp, but then he turned to his right, and there she was, _His _Rose, in all her beauty.

"Nothing is impossible…" Rose whispered, squeezing his hand again. "I'm here…I did it." Tears streamed down her face as she looked up and met his kind brown eyes, which were studying her in wonderment.

The Doctor looked at Rose as if she was his very salvation, his eyes wide and brimming with emotion.

"Rose…." He uttered her name like a prayer. 

"Doctor…" 

Then he threw his arms around her, lifting her clean off her feet. Rose clung to him, burying her head in the crook of his neck and closing her eyes as she held him tightly, never wanting to let him go. And they stood there, just holding each other in absolution, no words being able to describe what they felt. 

The Doctor pulled back after a few moments just to look at her, to drink in her appearance, to look into her eyes. She still looked the same…just the way she looked last time he saw her. Then reality hit him like a kick in the guts. 

"Rose – how?", he asked, surprised at how breathless he sounded. 

"Huh?" Rose was startled back to reality by the Doctors words. She had dreamed of seeing him again for so long, but the dreams were not half as good as the reality…she shook herself. "Yes…right. I'd better explain, and quickly. There might not be lot of time." 

For once the Doctor was silent and his face became serious. He sat down on the floor, his feet unable to support him any longer. Rose slid down next to him and started to explain. He listened intently, refusing to let go of her hand, lest she was pulled away from him by some mystical force. He couldn't believe what he was hearing – a Dimension Divider in the Daleks possession…that could be a deadly weapon if they found the right person to operate it. His brow furrowed, and Rose smiled in spite of herself. He grinned back. 

"What are you smiling at?" He asked, eyes twinkling. 

"You…" Rose's smile widened. "You were furrowing your brow…I love it when you do that. Anyway…so, this Dalek said…"

Rose finished the story by explaining how the Dalek had been destroyed and how she had decided to come back before Pete patched up the breach. 

"That was very dangerous Rose…" the Doctor frowned at her. 

"I know…I'm sorry. But it was my one chance…my _only_ chance to get back here…to you." She met his eyes, and the love between them burned. 

"How long has it been for you?" He asked, forgetting all about the Dalek threat the moment he looked into her eyes. 

"Two years, three months and this morning." She said, without hesitating. "You?" 

"Ten…well, it would have been ten years in…about three and a half hours." The Doctor bowed his head, then shook himself again. "I'm sorry Rose – this is all going to have to wait, isn't it?" He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. _'It's typical…I just get back the love of my life and we have to go chasing bloody Daleks…' _

She nodded "Yep." She reached into her coat pocket. "Thought you might want this…" She held out the container with the Time Lord device in it and the Doctor stared, unable to believe his eyes. 

"I don't believe it…the last Dimension Divider… "

Rose grinned, "So original…" She rolled her eyes. "I've been wondering what it was called…and now I'm just disappointed! You'd think your lot would have had more inventive names for things – Dimension Divider? Honestly…"

"It's a bit rubbish really, isn't it?" The Doctor agreed, grinning back at her. "But I don't make these things up…" He shrugged. "If I did they'd all have fantastic names…"

"Anyway – it's yours. Last Time Lord and all…" she smiled, squeezing his hand before releasing it so he could take the container from her.

"What exactly was it used for?" She asked after a moment, as she watched the Doctor study the device and scan it over with his sonic screwdriver.

"Well…when my people were still alive it was quite easy to travel between most parallel worlds – we tried to keep the walls between dimensions quite open to us, but every so often a new dimension would be formed or an old one would start to seal itself off and so this little beauty…" he spun the container holding the device around with his nimble fingers "…would be used to help break down the walls if a Time Lord ever needed to get through to try and keep the links stable, or it could be used to close up a breach or a path between worlds if necessary…It had other uses too but that was the main purpose." He sighed, his expression becoming solemn. "It'll have to be destroyed…it's far too dangerous to keep it." 

"I knew you'd say that, but I thought I'd bring it to you – just in case it would be of any use against the Daleks…" 

"The Daleks…" the Doctor jumped up, quickly tucking the device inside his coat and staring at the wall, as if waiting for one to appear right in front of them. "I need to check for the tear here. I need…" but Rose was already holding up the 3D specs that she still had in her pocket. He smiled. "You always know don't you?" 

He slipped the glasses on and frowned before handing them to Rose. She put them on and sighed in frustration – she could see the tear and the void stuff was seeping through. 

"Doctor?" Rose asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" 

"The Dalek that came through in Pete's world…it didn't have any power. It could even perform an emergency temporal shift, so maybe any that will try and come through here will be the same?"

"Maybe…" he had started pacing, "but I don't think so. The commander probably sent through the weakest of its soldiers as reconnaissance, just in case anything happened. They would be cautious attempting to get out of the void again. I need to close it…now." 

"How?" Rose asked, pacing around with him, just to stay close. 

"With this!" He held up the container Rose had given him and grinned at her. "We need to get back to the TARDIS, quickly. We haven't got much time." He tucked the device back in his pocket, then held out his hand, and wiggled his fingers. Rose looked and laughed before taking hold of it tightly. 

"The old team again?" she asked. 

"Mutt and Jeff…" he grinned. 

"Shiver and Shake." She grinned back. 

"Me and you…" and then they ran. "Oh…and Martha!" said the Doctor suddenly, grinning madly as they got to the lift and hopped in. 

"Who's Martha?" Rose frowned, feeling like someone had dropped a brick in her chest. 

'_Oops...' _"Umm…well it's a long story – kinda..." the Doctor said, sheepishly, as the lift doors closed. 

"Well, you've got forty-five floors to tell me about it." Rose frowned, tapping her foot. "Alone…yeah, great…there was me all worried that you were running around the universe alone, and you've gone and forgotten me like Sarah-Jane. Was I just another 'assistant' that you decided you would have to give up at some point and then exchange me for a new model?" she was on the point of tears, feeling a little foolish, but rather fragile.

The Doctor dropped her hand and took her by the shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. "I would NEVER do that to you. Not to _you_. Never…Rose, it's been ten years for me. I've travelled almost all of them alone. Martha…well she joined me by accident a week or two ago, and she would never have replaced you. I need you to understand that Rose – never." He gave Rose such an intense look that her legs almost gave out, and she knew that he was being sincere.

She nodded, and felt slightly ashamed that she thought the Doctor would forget her, after all the promises he had made her…after he burned up a sun to say goodbye to her. 

"I'm sorry…" she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and relaxed as she felt his strong arms close around her, drawing her closer to him. "I didn't want you to be alone, really. I hoped you'd find someone to travel with…It's just I was so worried that you'd forget about me, that I'd just be another Sarah-Jane, wasting her life loving someone who didn't love her back in the same way; just another friend or lost love…after all, I'm just a tiny part of more than nine hundred years…" 

"Never think that Rose – you saved me in every way a person can be saved…." He whispered in her ear softly and gulped as he felt her begin to play idly with the hair at the nape of his neck, feeling his concentration slipping as he lost himself in her scent...

He cleared his throat and pulled away abruptly. "Sorry getting a bit deep there." He grinned half-heartedly but Rose looked disappointed. "This isn't the time." He said, looking at her seriously again.

"We've got the world to save and I've got a story to tell you…" 

The lift pinged open.

"But now I'm gonna have to tell you as we run!" He flashed his trademark grin at her, "Come on Rose Tyler!" 

"I know…run for your life." Rose grinned and grabbed his hand as they ran through the bottom floor of Torchwood, attracting strange stares as they went.

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By the time they arrived back at the door to the TARDIS the Doctor had managed to quickly tell Rose about the hospital on the moon and all that had happened since. She felt much better having heard about Martha, though she was quite jealous at some of the adventures she had shared with the Doctor that she hadn't.

"You OK?." He asked, squeezing her hand tightly for a moment, giving her a warm smile, before opening the door.

"Yeah." Rose smiled nervously, letting him go in first, not entirely sure she was ready to face the 'new girl'. 

"Where the hell have you been? I thought you weren't coming back! You could have been dead!" Rose heard a woman, presumably Martha, yell angrily as the Doctor sauntered in through the door. "Wait – are you OK?"

"Never better Martha Jones!" he said, beaming. "Why?"

"It's just…you look…happy…_really _happy." Martha sounded shocked and Rose smiled slightly. The Doctor wiggled his hand at her through the TARDIS door and she took it, letting him pull her inside. The Doctor heard Rose breath in sharply as she looked around the ship, reacquainting herself. He looked at her, a kind smile spreading over his face as he watched her.

"Welcome back Rose." He said quietly, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb as the TARDIS hummed louder than usual. "Listen – she's happy to see you." 

"I'm happy to see her too." Rose smiled back at him. "Hello old girl – I missed you."

The TARDIS hummed happily.

"Wait…did you say Rose?" Martha looked carefully at the girl that the Doctor had just dragged aboard. It _was_ Rose…_the _Rose that she had been watching on the hologram. 

"I did indeed Martha. Rose Tyler meet Martha Jones. Trainee doctor, thinks she's smarter than me, fancies Shakespeare." The Doctor grinned at Rose – he couldn't stop grinning. Martha was amazed. It was the first time that she had seen a smile truly reach his eyes. 

"Hi." Rose waved nervously at Martha.

"Rose…_the_ Rose?! I don't believe it!" Martha looked astounded as she walked around the console to get closer to them.

"He talks about me?" Rose looked truly touched.

Martha nodded: "Yeah, sometimes. Rose would know what to do, Rose would say just the right thing…you're not replacing her you know!" Martha rolled her eyes and smiled a little as Rose's face split into a grin. She looked at the Doctor.

"You talk about me?"

He nodded "Maybe…" he smiled and then laughed as Rose threw her arms around him again, knowing how much that meant to her after the incident with Sarah-Jane all those years ago. "Right…sorry ladies, you're going to have to get to know each other later." He reluctantly let go of Rose. "Rose I need you to fill Martha in on the story, yeah – she doesn't know about the parallel universe or anything."

Martha looked at the floor. Although it was the TARDIS that had shown her the hologram she still felt a little guilty for watching – it was supposed to be private, after all.

"Right oh sarge." Rose saluted. "What are you gonna do?" 

"I am going to work my magic on this little beauty – get her set up to close the breach. For good…" He carefully took the Dimension Divider out of the box and placed it on the TARDIS console, then looked at Rose, an apology in his eyes. "You're not going to be able to go back…"

"I knew that before I came…I told you once a long time ago – I made my decision. My life is with you." Rose put her hand on the Doctors arm and looked at him. He put his free hand on top of hers for a moment, holding her gaze, before turning back to the matter at hand, leaving Rose to explain the situation to Martha.

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In Torchwood, business was carrying on as normal. The employees went about their daily routine unaware that on the top floor there were three dark shapes appearing on the white wall, covered with photographs and brass plaques. The Daleks had arrived…

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_PLEASE review! Let me know what you think! Next chapter will be up soon…._

_A/N I just want to take this opportunity to plug my other ongoing story 'Trapped' (see my profile) – it's an adventure story with Captain Jack's return to the TARDIS. It's had quite a poor response so far, possibly because of minor spoilers for the start of 'Utopia' in the Prologue. If you don't want to be spoiled even a tiny bit please keep it in mind for a read once the ep has aired, or skip the prologue and have a look at the first chapter – it's where the story actually starts with Jack setting foot in the TARDIS! _

_There's gonna be some lovely Rose10 fluff in there, though it'll probably be in the form of a dream seeing as Rose isn't in the story. I've written a lovely bit already which only works in the context of the 'Trapped' story and I don't really want to have to lock it away in a drawer!! _

_OK…I'll shut up now! Thank you if you bothered to read that! _

_Next Chapter of 'Time to Heal' will be up in a day or two…possibly tomorrow if you guys nag enough! _


	11. The Oncoming Storm

**Disclaimer: **Jeeze, I get tired of writing these. You know by now, I don't own it! WAH!

_**A/N **__Well, what can I say except THANK YOU once again to all you FANTASTIC people who read, and especially to those who review! Right…next chapter. Martha's gonna get a bit jealous, naturally, but I've found it quite difficult to get across what she's feeling when the fic is mostly focused on the Doctor and Rose. Hope it works OK…_

_And now I have to deal with the plot! I'm biting my finger nails on this one…it's sooo difficult to get rid of Daleks quickly and without too much mess! I mean there's the good old high pitched sonic ray, or maybe pushing them out of the window…but I wanted to use our little DD seeing as Rose had gone to all that effort to bring it with her! LOL! Anyway – this chapter and the next deal with wrapping the plot up, so PLEASE review and let me know if it's OK. It's all been tied up pretty quickly but I wanted to keep the pace/urgency of the situation…and I'll shut up and post the story now! PROMISE! ; ) _

**10 – The Oncoming storm**

"And…that's about it really. I found myself here…" Rose finished, still feeling a little uncomfortable around Martha. 

Martha flashed a forced smile at Rose and then looked at the floor. She had hardly spoken since Rose had started telling her story. After the shock of the initial meeting, she had started to feel an irrational dislike of the audacious woman who had bounded into her life, ruining her time with the Doctor. She was jealous. Under normal circumstances she would have probably liked Rose a lot; she felt she liked her and even admired her as she watched the Doctors memories play on the TARDIS hologram. But then, they were just memories…a part of his past. Now Rose was there, sitting right in front of her, stealing the Doctor away with every little glance that passed between them as he worked.

She sighed and looked back at Rose who was watching the Doctor, a sickeningly happy smile plastered on her face.

"Martha…", Rose said, suddenly, still looking at the Doctor.

"Huh?" Martha was jolted from her thoughts.

"I want us to be friends." She said, quietly, looking away from the man she loved and back at his companion, who was obviously annoyed by her sudden return to the Doctors life.

Martha didn't say anything and Rose sighed in frustration.

Her attempts at offering Martha the olive branch didn't progress any further, however, because at that moment, the Doctor came bouncing over. Rose smiled, still unable to believe just how good it felt to be able to see him again…to smell his unique scent, to see that goofy grin.

"I've done it! Got it! Got the blighter! We're all ready to go! Back to Torchwood!" he waved the Dimension Divider around like a man possessed.

"We running again?" Rose asked, standing up and straightening her jacket.

"We'll have to take the TARDIS in – it's quicker; though we'll probably have to fight off half of Torchwood to get away again…They really don't like me poking my nose in where I'm not invited." He shrugged. "Anyway…here we go!" He flicked a switch and the TARDIS took off.

"Your driving hasn't improved much in ten years…" Rose commented, hanging on to the side of the console. The Doctor just grinned, locking his gaze with hers for a moment before they shuddered to a halt.

"Here we are then…" He said cheerfully, opening the door, and then quickly shut it again, a frown etched on his face as Rose heard the one word she had been dreading since she arrived…

"Exterminate!!"

They were too late.

"Was that…a Dalek?" Martha asked, voice shaking.

"Nope…" The Doctor frowned, his jaw set. "That was _three_ Daleks…"

"We're too late then…what're we gonna do?" Rose asked. "We can't let them get out of the building or..."

"First things first…" The Doctor said, business like all of a sudden. "I'm going to use this nifty device here to close up that breach…I can do that from here." He spun the Gallifreyan device around in his right hand. "I've got to stop any more from coming through."

"But then…won't the Daleks that have already come through be stuck here?" Martha asked.

"Yep, that's right Martha." The Doctor said pleasantly, as if she had just answered a maths question correctly.

"So...what are we gonna do about them?" Rose asked.

"Lets just get that breach closed first…." The Doctor fiddled with the device, concentration written all over his face. "I don't intend dealing with a whole army of them again…" He stroked it gently as if he was playing a musical instrument and a bright line of white light shot from the centre.

"Did it work?" Martha asked, once the light had gone.

"Course it did!" The Doctor looked indignant. "It has various compartments inside housing different sources of energy and organic material for many purposes…all you have to do is know how to activate the right bit…just takes a bit of emotion." He looked serious for a moment before smiling. "And…yep – we're still alive! Woo!" He grinned and hugged Rose briefly in celebration. "Now…three Daleks…three Daleks…" he walked over to the door of the TARDIS and looked out again.

"It's the Doctor – Exterminate!" He pulled his head back in. "Umm…make that four." He frowned.

"Four?!" Rose and Martha said together.

"Yep – looks like they've found what they were looking for. Our old friend Dalek Caan is here…a lovely family reunion." He gritted his teeth together. "What to do…what to do…." He rubbed the back of his neck, nervously.

"Umm – Doctor? Shouldn't we be warning Torchwood that there are four psychotic pepper pots loose in their facility?" Rose asked, prodding him gently in the side.

"Good point…Lets go." The TARDIS dematerialised and they headed for the lobby.

"We're doing an awful lot of jumping around in the TARDIS." Martha commented, dryly as they landed with a thud.

The Doctor looked up from the controls, "Well it's that, or get killed." He said, flatly.

Martha suddenly saw a very different Doctor before her. The last time they had faced the Daleks he had freely offered himself up to be killed, and now he was trying to do everything possible to avoid it.

"Stay here." The Doctor looked seriously at Rose and Martha. "Do not come out under any circumstances – it's not time yet." He looked especially hard at Rose, who nodded in a silent promise to do as he said.

He stepped outside cautiously. There was a collective click as the security team armed their weapons.

"Ahh…I thought that might happen. Hello again everyone." He waved nervously.

"Doctor – you violated our trust – you brought your ship inside the facility." Rose could hear an unfamiliar voice speaking to the Doctor. She pulled Martha back as she headed for the door and put her finger to her lips as a sign for her to be quiet. Martha frowned at her, and then stomped off around the other side of the console.

"Yes – urr…sorry about that, but I thought you might like to know that you've got four Dalek's loose on the top floor." The Doctor clicked the TARDIS door shut and moved forwards, speaking to James Parson, one of the senior staff members.

"Daleks? You're kidding right?" James smiled. "They're extinct – you sent them into the void…"

"Well…yes, and no." He looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head and waving his hand. "But there's no time for this - you have to seal off the building. Code Five right now." The Doctor said seriously. "If you don't, everyone in the city will be dead by sundown."

James looked at the Doctor. His expression was terrifying…the records called him 'The Oncoming Storm' and now he understood why.

"Trust me…just trust me – please!" The Doctor pleaded, holding eye contact with the young man for a moment.

"Lower your weapons. Code Five – now!" James yelled, and the men scattered just as the lift at the far end of the lobby pinged open and two Daleks emerged.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"James – run!" The Doctor yelled, eyes wide, but it was too late, the death ray hit the young man and he fell to the ground with a horrible scream.

"It's the Doctor!" One of the Daleks croaked.

"You bet it's me!" The Doctor glared at the Daleks.

"The Doctor…the Doctor – ext…" The Daleks stopped dead, however, when the Doctor held out the Gallifreyan device.

The Doctor laughed, a smile spreading over his face. "Ah ha…has the Doctor got something you want?"

The Daleks made no further attempt to kill him, knowing that their rays would incinerate the device…and the Doctor knew it too. He backed into the TARDIS to regroup just as the Code Five went into full operation. The lifts went offline and the two Daleks were sealed on the ground floor by five-inch thick steel panels, which could only be raised from the outside. The problem was that there were now two pairs of Daleks at different points of the building.

"Just to make things more interesting…" The Doctor sighed turning around to face Rose and Martha who looked incredibly relieved to see him alive.

"You're alive!" Martha squealed, moving forwards.

"So it would seem Martha Jones." He smiled, patting her on the shoulder, but he only had eyes for Rose.

"I thought I'd lost you again…" Rose said, her voice muffled by the Doctors chest as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Can't get rid of me that easily…" He pulled back, smiling momentarily. "Now…think, think, think, think!" He said, brow furrowed as paced around the console, running his hands through his hair.

"Contamination…yes! Contamination!!" He grinned madly, looking up at Rose and Martha.

"You mean contamination like…like the way I contaminated that Dalek in Van Statten's collection?" Rose asked, unsure of what he meant.

"Something like that…yeah." The Doctor was still thinking it through in his head.

"I'm confused…" Martha piped in.

"Not now Martha – we'll explain later." The Doctor waved a hand at her. Martha crossed her arms, feeling more than a little hurt, but inside she understood the urgency.

"But when I contaminated the Dalek it took ages for it to kick in. It almost killed me a few times…remember?" Rose said.

"Of course I remember…" The Doctor frowned. "Daleks…" He ground the word out as if it was the most hateful word in his vocabulary. "But…" He paused and took a breath – there was a long explanation coming on. "If I can damage this dimension device badly enough to prevent it from allowing dimensional portals but still allow it function on a basic level, and then contaminate the last functioning part with human blood that will spurt out of it when it is activated…"

"But they can't activate it, can they?" Rose said. "The Dalek in Pete's world said it took their commander years to extract the last bit of energy from it…"

"That's perfectly correct Rose…." The Doctor said, reaching into his pocket and putting on his thick framed glasses.

Rose smiled, she could feel another 'but' coming…

"But, seeing as I am so incredibly clever, I can put this little beauty on a timer – like a bomb waiting to go off!" He grinned, and started fiddling with the device. "Then I can offer it to Caan. Caan will take it inside his body armour to keep it safe for later use…then, when time runs out he'll get splatted with the human blood which will contaminate his armour. There is nothing worse for that repulsive little nightmare than contamination by an unclean organic source. His armour will shut down to cleanse itself and his soldiers will be without orders and get disorientated, giving just enough time for Torchwood and their fancy alien weapons to move in and…"

"Boom!" Rose grinned triumphantly.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" The Doctor smiled. "Caan's armour is stronger than the soldiers…the only way they'll break through it is if we can shut him down. You know…it's so crazy it might just work!"

"Your insanity has never led us wrong before…" Rose commented, wryly.

Martha was amazed at how the pair of them could remain so upbeat in the face of probable death.

"Well – I think you're both mad." She said, shaking her head and letting out a miserable sigh – she was starting to feel like a spare part.

The Doctor started running around the console again, adjusting the device carefully and muttering to himself.

"There…that should do it. Now…Rose – I need blood. Do you mind?"

"Knock yourself out." Rose rolled up her sleeve and the Doctor pulled a syringe from somewhere under the console. "Talk about being prepared…" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh – you never know when a syringe will come in handy…I had to be ready in case your mother tried to come in and dust and I had to drug her." He grinned, and Rose whacked him on the arm.

"Lay off my mum." But Martha noticed that she was grinning too, until the needle pierced her skin.

"Ouch…"

"Sorry..." The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Almost done…there!" He pulled the blood sample away, triumphantly. "Thank you Miss Tyler! Just a minute now…" He started fiddling around with the device again at incredible speed. "Right! I've got no idea if it will work – I might just be insane…but it's the best chance we've got." He looked at Martha. "Martha – I understand if you don't want to come – certain death and all that."

"Wouldn't miss it." Martha smiled briefly before frowning again as Rose sidled up to the Doctor.

"Back to the breach then…" Rose said, taking a deep breath and wrapping her arm around the Doctors waist. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, squeezing her tightly. "And good luck to us all…"

**A/N **_Well….hope it's OK! It was a difficult one to try and resolve…stay tuned for the next chapter. Coming soon…provided I get enough reviews! ; ) _


	12. The Final Goodbye

**Disclaimer: **_I__don't own Doctor Who! I only write for fun and don't profit from my work – my payment is in the joy of reviews! Hee hee!_

_**A/N**__ Hello all! Glad you enjoyed the last Chapter! Time to play the plot out now…phew! There are still two chapters and an epilogue to go though so don't tune out just yet! Thanks and huge hugs to everyone who reviewed the last chapter…PLEASE keep reviewing everyone! They make me so happy and I really do value your comments. _

_The end of this chapter will probably come across as seriously cheesy and I did toss and turn over putting it in or not…but once it was there it just seemed right as something the Doctor might think given the circumstances of the moment…so don't beat me with a shovel! ; ) lol! Enjoy! Review!_

**11 – The Final goodbye**

The TARDIS materialised just outside the sealed room on the top floor. The Doctor, Rose and Martha all stepped out quickly and were met by the familiar clicking of a host of Torchwood security arming their weapons.

"It's OK – it's only me – the Doctor." The weapons were lowered. "Now...listen closely." He explained his plan quickly to the security team and then turned to the steel doors, determination in his eyes. 

"Everyone stay back." He said to the hall at large. "Rose, Martha – keep well out of the way until I've shut these doors again. I don't know what's gonna happen…" He looked at both women, and they nodded silently. "Okay…here we go then." Taking his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket the Doctor pointed it at the security door making it slide open just a little.

"It's the Doctor!" Caan screeched, as the Time Lord appeared from behind the door.

"Yep – it's me! Honestly…who did you think it was? The Tooth Fairy?!" The Doctor said poking his head around the door to look at Caan. He held up the Dimension Divider. "I think I've got something you want. Here, you can have your Time Lord technology." He slid the device across the room to the Daleks.

"I do not understand." Said Dalek Caan, rolling forward. "The Doctor does not give up."

"Well understand it now Caan. I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting you and your ridiculous hatred. You can do what you like – I'm going off in the TARDIS, and you can have the earth. Help yourself." He winked, then quickly shut the door and looked back at Rose and Martha. "They may be geniuses but they don't have one ounce of common sense…" He grinned, cheekily.

Rose was just showing Martha how to handle one of Torchwood's alien guns. She smiled up at him, reaching her hand out. The Doctor took it with his own, squeezing it tightly for a moment before realising her.

"Good luck, both of you. Be careful." He looked at his companions. "Okay everyone…" He spoke up, addressing the Torchwood staff, "we haven't got much time, so…On the count of three…" he said, sonic screwdriver ready to override the security doors on all levels. "One…two…THREE!" 

The doors opened. Dalek Caan was dormant. His armour had shut down, just as the Doctor predicted. The Dalek soldier was going around in circles screeching: "I need orders…I need orders!"

"Orders?" The Doctor said, determination burning in his eyes. "How's this? OPEN FIRE!" 

Suddenly the room was ablaze with gunfire. The lights were green, blue and red, shots firing from the various alien weaponry that Torchwood had in its possession, all concentrated on the Daleks. 

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" The lone operational Dalek cried, using it's death ray to kill as many as he could, several men falling to the ground in agony, but the concentrated fire power was too strong and with one final screech the armour exploded spectacularly and the Dalek inside burnt.

Although Dalek Caan's armour had shut down, it was still much stronger than that of the soldier. He could not perform a temporal shift…he knew his end had come. Inside his armour he screeched as the weapon rays began to break through and burn his flesh. Just before his life ended his armour began to screech back to life and with communication restored he managed to croak to the remaining Daleks: "Abort! Abort! It's the Doctor! Abort!" Then he breathed no more.

The firing ceased at a signal from the Doctor. He walked forward, a grave expression on his face. 

"Well that's it then…the last of the Cult of Skaro. Gone." 

"What about the other Daleks?" Martha asked. "The ones on the ground level?"

"A very good question Martha Jones…" The Doctor turned to the leader of the security unit who radioed down. 

"Doctor…the team downstairs went in and fired. One is dead…but the other – they said it disappeared. Sorry." He turned away to dismiss his men.

"Emergency temporal shift…" The Doctor gritted his teeth. "One always survives…always…" 

"I'm sorry Doctor…" said Martha quietly. 

"That's alright. Are you OK Martha?" he asked wearily, giving her a friendly hug. 

"Yep – I'm fine." Martha grinned, hoping to extend the hug as she clung onto the Doctor tightly, but he was already pulling away. He frowned at her for a moment, confused, before shaking his head and looking around for the one face he wanted to see at that moment.

"Wait…" the Doctor stopped dead. She wasn't there. "Rose – where's Rose?!" His face became panicked all of a sudden as he scanned the smoky room, looking for her. "ROSE!" He yelled, his hearts racing.

"Over here! Can't get rid of me that easily!" Rose appeared from the smoke near the door, smiling widely.

Relief flooded the Doctors features as he ran to her and swept her off her feet in a spinning hug. He closed his eyes and just held her there for a moment losing himself in the sensation of her body so close to his, the feeling of her soft hair brushing against his cheek and her arms around him, one hand across his back and the other around the back of his neck. "Where were you?" He asked, pulling back to look at Rose, planting his hands firmly on her waist. 

"I was getting crushed in the exiting ranks of Torchwood security…thought it was best to just get out of their way. I'm fine…don't worry so much." She grinned, looking into the Doctors eyes, relief flooding his features. "So we won then…"

He smiled at her, his whole face lighting up. "We always win…" Then he hugged her again and held onto her, both of them grinning like idiots. Rose hid her face in the crook of the Doctors neck, breathing in deeply and relishing the feeling of him holding her so close, his hands clutching at her tightly and his cheek resting against her hair. She was home.

Martha looked on. She felt a growing ache inside on seeing them together, but she realised that it was pointless to let her jealousy run unchecked. She would not let her feelings get the better of her…she couldn't. Not when Rose made the Doctor look so happy.

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"Right then!" said the Doctor, a few minutes later. "That's it then chaps – back to the TARDIS for a well deserved cuppa tea!", he was still grinning and holding Rose's hand. 

"What's next?" Martha asked. 

"Oh…I dunno yet." Said the Doctor. "I never do really, do I?" He chuckled.

"Doctor…" Rose said quietly. "I do need to talk to you…it's something that's quite important, and, urr…private." She glanced at Martha. 

The Doctor looked taken aback for a moment, searching Rose's eyes. "OK then…Martha, why don't you go and put the kettle on in the TARDIS. Rose and I…we'll be there in a minute." He smiled. 

"OK." Martha looked unsure, but she left them to it. 

Rose sat down, her back against the TARDIS and patted the floor next to her for the Doctor to join her. 

"So…what's up?" He asked, looking at her, concern in his eyes.

"Don't worry…" she smiled, "There's nothing horribly wrong with me or anything…it's just I thought you should know…"

"Know what?" 

"You remember….you remember the Bad Wolf? The Vortex?" Rose asked, _'stupid question…'_

"Umm…yeah…." He said slowly, not seeing where this was going. 

"Well – afterwards it hadn't had any immediate effect on me. You did all those tests." 

The Doctor nodded, still looking puzzled.

"But…about a year ago at Torchwood, parallel Torchwood, they found something…something that had changed my cells…." Rose began the whole complicated explanation and the Doctor listened intently. 

When she finished, he looked shocked.

"So that means.." he began, waiting to see Rose's reaction. 

"That means that I'm never gonna leave you…it means I am gonna stay with you, if you'll have me. Hey, I might not outlive you, but I'm not going to pop it in sixty years time either – unless I get blown up, or exterminated or summat." 

Then, unable to hold it in any longer she burst out laughing. The Doctor broke into a huge grin and laughed too, his face lighting up. Rose just watched him for a minute, studying his features. She loved everything about his face…the smattering of freckles, the way his lips twitched slightly when he was trying not to laugh, the laughter lines around his eyes…and those eyes. She found his eyes amazing, because even though they were a different colour, and were placed in a different face…they were still the same eyes that he had when she first knew him, the eyes she had fallen in love with – they still looked at her the same way the piercing blue eyes of his last incarnation had, and still made her feel…_fantastic. _

The Doctor stood up suddenly and pulled Rose to her feet. He watched as she brushed herself off, getting rid of the bits of white debris that had stuck to her jacket. He smiled. Of all the endings he had imagined, he never thought, even in his wildest dreams, that this one would be possible.

"So…I'm really stuck with you now…" He tried to keep a straight face, but failed miserably when Rose threw her arms around him and they both laughed again. "Rose…I'm sorry for bringing this on you. " He whispered in her ear after a moment, his tone serious once again. 

"Hey – it's not your fault. Don't ever think it's your fault!" Rose scolded him lightly. "And don't worry…I'm alright" she said, squeezing him tightly.

"I still don't quite understand how it happened…" he furrowed his brow, trying to work it out. 

"Maybe we're not supposed to know." She said, softly and then brightened her tone. "Honestly…the lengths I go to, to make sure you're not on your own…there goes your 'Lonely god' title right now." She smiled again, pulling back to look at her Doctor properly, holding onto his upper arms tightly, and when he saw the look in her eyes he knew that she was genuinely happy, so he was happy too. 

He opened the TARDIS door holding it for Rose. Just before following her inside, he looked back around at Torchwood one last time, his mind filled with memories of all those he had lost. Then he heard a voice in the back of his head…it was the Face of Boe, saying: _'You are not alone…' _and he wasn't. Not anymore.


	13. Tight Suits

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own it…wah!_

_**A/N **__Hello all! First of all a HUGE apology! I have been without a computer since Saturday! Had problems with my optical drive and I've literally just got it all working again – that's why this is so late! Plus I've got an exam Friday (last one! Wooo!) so all is major stress at the moment! BUT you know how you can make me feel better, don't ya? PLEASE review, review, review! I'd really like to hear what everyone thinks of these last three chapters as they're just tying up the loose ends and indulging my fluffy/shippy side (some more!). Hope you enjoy – let me know what you think…PLEASE!_

_Expect the next chapter tomorrow if you nag loads (hint, hint ; ) ) _

**12 – Tight Suits**

The Doctor had been tinkering around with Rose's blood sample in his lab for almost an hour, with Rose hovering over his shoulder and fetching him cups of tea, until he was satisfied that Torchwood hadn't made a mistake. They had left Martha by herself with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. The adventure had been great, she reflected, but now the danger was over and she knew the future had to be considered.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the TARDIS console room when Rose and the Doctor returned. The three travellers stood, regarding each other. Rose and the Doctor stood close together. He looked at her, and she nodded, understanding that he needed to talk to Martha.

"I'm gonna get changed. I can't stand wearing this formal get up around the TARDIS." Rose said, gesturing to her formal work suit. "Is my room…?" She looked to the Doctor.

"Your room is exactly as you left it…" He said, smiling as Rose ran off down the corridor to change, leaving him alone with Martha.

"So…" Martha said, nervously.

"So…we beat the Daleks then!" The Doctor smiled, flashing his white teeth.

"Yep…" Martha went quiet for a moment, before asking. "Doctor where does this leave me? I mean…you've got Rose back now…" She trailed off. _So you don't need me around anymore…_

"Well…I'm not going to pretend that things can carry on as before...I think it would just be awkward for all of us." The Doctor said carefully, feeling that honesty was the best policy. "But I did promise you one more trip." He smiled. "As long as it's OK with Rose."

"As long as what's OK with me?" Rose asked, skipping back into the room wearing her comfy low cut jeans and a pink T-shirt.

"Me." Martha said, avoiding looking at Rose. "Coming on one more trip with you and the Doctor."

"Course it's OK with me. Sounds like your useful in a tight spot." Rose said, smiling genuinely at Martha.

"After that?" Martha took a deep breath and the silence fell once again.

"I've got an idea!" said the Doctor, jumping up and grinning like a loon. "Lets forget about everything like that – lets just enjoy NOW! We're celebrating a victory and a great reunion that's nothing short of a miracle!" He grinned at Rose and took her hand. "Lets go out into London town and have…"

"Chips!" Rose squealed, and they both burst out laughing. Rose nuzzled her head against the Doctor's shoulder, feeling perfectly content.

"Chips?" Martha asked, looking confused. "I didn't know you liked chips, Doctor."

"I love chips!" The Doctor said, voice brimming with mirth. "Me and Rose - we had chips on our first date!" They both laughed again.

"Okay…and what was your first date?" Martha asked, a smile threatening to break her frown.

"Year five billion…" The Doctor said, looking reminiscent.

"End of the world." Rose said, casually, looking at Martha and then smiling at the Doctor.

"Oh…." Martha let a smile creep to her lips.

"Do you wanna hear about it?" Rose asked as the Doctor tugged at her hand, pulling her to the door.

Martha shrugged, grabbing her jacket. "Why not!" Then followed the giggling couple out of the door and into London.

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Having found the nearest chip shop that Rose deemed as 'worthy' she sent the Doctor in to buy three portions.

"But I haven't got…" he started, his voice whiny.

Rose held up a crisp ten-pound note and smiled cheekily at him. He took it, holding onto her hand for an extra moment before turning into the busy shop, leaving Rose and Martha alone outside.

"You OK?" Rose asked, looking at Martha.

"Huh?" Martha was deep in thought. "Sorry Rose…just thinking. Yeah I'm OK."

"Come on." Rose gestured to a bench at the middle of the square they were on. Martha followed her. Rose regarded the other woman for a moment, wondering how it would feel if she was in Martha's position and the Doctor was essentially chucking her out of the TARDIS. She couldn't imagine…

"You know, Martha…I'm sorry." She said, quietly.

"Sorry for what?" Martha looked at Rose, frowning.

"Well…if I hadn't come back and stuck my nose in you'd still be travelling with the Doctor, wouldn't you?"

"I guess…" Martha crossed her legs and looked at the floor. "But I knew it wouldn't last forever. I don't want it to – I mean, I've got my life back home."

"Oh yeah – the Doctor said you're training to be a doctor." Rose said, smiling. "Bet that's cool…saving peoples lives and all that."

"Yes, I guess it is pretty cool…" Martha paused before asking about something that had been bothering her. "Rose – you know when you met the Doctor? Did he kind of, put you on trial, just taking you on one trip and then saying…'oh just one more then'?"

"If you want the truth…" Rose caught Martha's eye. "No. He just asked me to go with him…and I said no…"

"You said no?" Martha looked shocked.

"At first…but he came back for me. I mean, I was hesitant about running off with a strange alien who looked old enough to be my father." Rose laughed lightly. "But of course…you wouldn't know what he looked like, or what he was like then…he was so different. He was so sad…" Rose frowned at the memory.

Martha cleared her throat. "I do…"

"You do what?"

"Know what he looked like when you met him…" Martha said quietly.

"What? How could you?" Rose looked at her, confused.

Martha looked up from the floor at Rose. "You have to promise – promise not to tell the Doctor…I feel like I invaded his privacy."

"I can't promise you that…" Rose said, "You know I can't." she looked at Martha, trying to make her understand.

Martha nodded. "I know…well…it wasn't me really, it was the TARDIS." Martha babbled and then stopped abruptly as Rose started grinning.

"Has the TARDIS been showing you things?"

"Yes…" Martha admitted, relaxing a little. "When he went out, to Canary Warf…I was wandering around the console room. I was angry…I was confused. I was worried because, typical bloke, I knew he was hurting and I knew it was something to do with you," She gave Rose a significant look, "but I didn't understand…I needed to know what he was feeling, and what had happened to you. The TARDIS put up this hologram – it was a memory recording of you…."

"Of me?" Rose looked surprised.

"Of course, of you." Martha was smiling. "And I saw bits of your time together…I saw him grab your hand and tell you to run, I saw you face down that Dalek…I saw you go through the regeneration together, and I saw you say goodbye."

There was a moment of silence.

"I won't tell him." Rose said, smiling. Martha looked relieved, but still a little sad. "I really am sorry. I mean, I know this was only ever a temporary thing for you, but…" Rose trailed off.

Martha shook her head. "I'm not going to pretend it will be easy going back, but I always knew I would. I want to. I don't know when I decided that this was more than a few free trips…but somewhere along the line I did, and now it's almost over…" She fell silent.

Rose didn't know what to say.

"It's alright though." Martha said. "I used to get jealous when he talked about you…because I didn't understand why he thought you were so wonderful and just saw me as another human he was playing tour-guide to, just a temporary friend. But now…when I see you together…I understand. He's so full of life – he looks so young!" She laughed, "Before he always looked so old, so weary…" She smiled sadly.

"You are both amazing people, you know? What you two have faced; the way you get through it together. It's wonderful."

Rose blushed. "Nah, I'm not amazing. But the Doctor is…" she trailed off, a far off look in her eyes for a moment, and then, trying to lighten the conversation she said: "You fancy him, don't you?"

"No!" Martha said, a little too quickly, making Rose laugh.

"You sooo do. I've seen the way you look at him…"

Martha looked mortified for a moment, but then gave way to laughter as well. "Maybe…he's a great man but just too weird for me…but, honestly, how can you not notice him with that cheeky grin and those tight suits?!"

Rose giggled. "I do love the suits…" she admitted.

"So do I. They give me a touch of class, don't ya think?" came the familiar voice of the Doctor as he appeared with three bags of chips, grinning from ear to ear. "Here you go." He handed Rose and Martha a portion each and then squished himself onto the bench in between them, all three of them smiling as they tucked in.

"This is the life…" Rose said, contentedly, letting her head rest on the Doctors shoulder. She had been awfully forward with him today, she realised, but he didn't seem to be objecting as he put his chips on his lap and wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side.

"Hmm…Indeed. These are fantastic chips." The Doctor agreed, grinning at her. "And you know what, Rose Tyler – you're fantastic too."

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_A/N More tomorrow…if you leave me some reviews! ; ) Big hugs to you all! Hope you're still enjoying! _


	14. Words he never said

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Doctor Who…don't own David Tennant (damn!), blah blah blah. I just borrow the characters from time to time to have to let them have some fun in my own story lines away from the angst ridden series three! ; ) _

_**A/N **__Right! Here you go! I promised I'd update again, didn't I? Thank you to those lovely people who keep reviewing! BIG hugs to you! Yey! OK this is major fluff time now…just the epilogue left after this to tie the story up with a pretty little bow, and both are pretty much just Rose and the Doctor. So yey! _

_Can I just ask all those lovely people who read this story to come out of the woodwork now and think about leaving a review for me if you haven't done before, either on this chapter or on the final one – you'd really make my day! I've got a big exam tomorrow…a really BIG exam so I can do with the happy vibes! _

_Next chapter tomorrow…probably in the evening due to said exam! _

_Enjoy!!_

**13 – Words he never said**

"Back to the TARDIS!" The Doctor announced, once Martha had gathered up the chip papers and put them in the nearest bin.

"What we gonna do now?" Martha asked, unable to pull her eyes away as the Doctor licked his fingers clean.

"I have an idea…" he said, a wicked grin spreading over his features.

"That sounds ominous." Rose said, her lips twitching. Then she burst out laughing as the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled. They were running along together, hand in hand, smiling and laughing – just like old times. "Martha – come on!" Rose called over her shoulder to Martha, who was still standing by the bench. Martha shrugged and then ran after them.

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By the time Martha got back to the TARDIS the Doctor and Rose were already chatting by the console.

"Martha! There you are! What took you so long?" The Doctor was beaming, his face alight with pure joy. "Right, so what was I saying…" he continued without giving her a chance to answer, "We've defeated the bad guys, we saved the world, we did the hugs, had chips…" The Doctor counted off the steps for his perfect day on his fingers. "Now…" he looked at Rose and hit a switch on the console.

Glen Miller music started playing and Rose laughed.

"May I have this dance?" The Doctor bowed, his eyes brimming with mirth.

"Of course, kind sir." Rose curtsied, grinning at him. "Can you remember how though?"

"Ah these feet of mine…they were made for dancing!" He tilted his head, studying Rose for a moment, and then offered her his hand.

Martha watched as the Doctor and Rose danced around the console, grinning like the nutters they were. She sighed. As much as she loved travelling with the Doctor she knew that staying on the TARDIS would only make things awkward for him and Rose and, in the long run, she would make herself miserable. As much as she hated the old saying _'Two's company, three's a crowd'_, she knew that, in this situation, it was true. Then, pushing these thoughts to the back of her head for the time being she decided that she would enjoy whatever time she had left on the wonderful ship, with two amazing people.

"Come on Martha." Rose's voice cut through Martha's thoughts and before she knew what was happening Rose had grabbed her by the hand and she was being dragged around the console with the jiving pair. Martha laughed, grinning at both the Doctor and Rose, just enjoying the moment. She had never been one for dancing, but she could see the appeal – as long as you had the right friends to make a fool of yourself with. Round and round they went, until Martha was so dizzy she thought she was going to be sick. When the song finished she declared that she had had enough and withdrew from the 'dance floor'.

"What next?" The Doctor asked, still grinning madly. "Some Elvis Presley…?" he dropped his voice to a deep growl and put on an American accent.

"Or how about some Cliff?" Rose asked, sticking her tongue out between her teeth, teasing him.

"Nooooo!!! Anything but that!" He grinned, and pretended to be knocked sideways by the very suggestion.

The TARDIS, however, seemed to have plans of her own as she clicked on a slow ballad that Rose didn't recognise but the Doctor knew straight away…

'_Cheeky girl!' _He scolded his ship. She didn't reply, but mentally pushed him towards Rose.

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The Doctor had been watching Rose ever since they had got back into the TARDIS. He had dreamt of seeing her again for so long, and he'd planned just what he was going to say. He was going to tell her that he loved her, and that he would love her forever, even if there was no such thing…but things never turn out as you plan them and he hadn't had his chance. Now, the TARDIS was giving him his chance…Suddenly his palms were sweaty and his hearts were racing. He wiped his hands on his jacket, self-consciously and looked at Rose. She looked so beautiful, just standing there…waiting. Waiting for him. He offered her his hand, trying to stop it shaking, and she took it willingly. Martha quickly realised what was happening and quietly slipped out of the room as the music played on...

_**Like the sound of silence calling**_

_**I hear your voice and suddenly I'm falling**_

_**Lost in a dream**_

_**Like the echoes of our souls are meeting**_

_**You say those words, my heart stops beating**_

_**I wonder what it means**_

Rose felt the Doctors cool hand close tightly around hers, and he pulled her to him. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his body pressed so close. He settled his hands on her waist and she nervously wrapped her arms around his torso. After a moment she sighed contentedly and relaxed into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder as they swayed in circles, slowly moving around the console. The Doctor let one hand slide upwards from her waist, gently caressing her back and silently cursing the cotton of her t-shirt, which was stopping him from touching her soft skin.

"You look tired…" he said, pulling back to study her face.

"You'd be looking tired too if you were a human who hadn't slept properly for two years." She said, smiling wryly.

"Perhaps you should go to…" he began, sounding concerned, but Rose put a silencing finger over his lips, making him tremble slightly. He hadn't intended his voice to sound so hoarse, but he was finding it difficult to operate his vocal cords with Rose's face lingering so close to his. She was intoxicating.

"Just hold me." She said quietly, putting her head back on his shoulder and smiling as she felt his arms tighten around her once more, pulling her into an embrace as they continued to dance. She was back where she belonged.

_**What could it be that comes over me?**_

_**At times I can't move**_

_**At times I can hardly breath**_

"Rose…" The Doctor sighed, shocked at how husky his voice sounded. He gulped. It was difficult to gather his thoughts when he finally had the woman he loved cradled in his arms. He was at breaking point.

"Doctor…" Rose drew back and looked up at him, increasingly aware of his hands on her waist and his face so close to hers. He was terrified.

Their eyes met and the Doctor knew…it had to be now.

"Rose Tyler…" he took a deep breath, "I love you."

_**When you say you love me**_

_**The world goes still, so still inside**_

_**And when you say you love me**_

_**In that moment I know why I'm alive**_

Rose's face lit up into a vibrant smile, her eyes twinkling and her heart leaping as she finally heard those three little words; words that she had waited two years to hear him say. He smiled back, his eyes lighting up with joy, and relief flooding through him. He couldn't believe how good it felt to tell her after all the years of heart ache. It was like a great weight had lifted from his chest.

"I…I love you too." She whispered, choking back tears of happiness, gently running her fingers through his messy hair.

"Hey, hey!" The Doctor put his hand to her cheek, smiling warmly "No tears – even happy tears. We've both cried enough." He wiped hers away with his thumb, his hand lingering and caressing her cheek as he slowly closed the gap between them until they were so close that he thought he might explode from the anticipation. '_Just do it!!!'_ the voice in his head screamed.

_**You're the one I've always thought of**_

_**I don't know how but I feel sheltered in your love**_

_**You're where I belong**_

_**And when you're with me if I close my eyes**_

_**There are times I swear I feel like I can fly**_

_**For a moment in time**_

And finally…finally, his restraint broke. He let his eyes slide closed and he pressed his lips against hers. He didn't think he had ever felt anything so exquisite as kissing Rose…until she kissed him back. Kissing Rose when she was being killed by a vortex, or being snogged senseless by her lips when she was possessed…that was nothing to what he was feeling now. He was in sensory overload, wondering why the hell he had deprived himself of this pleasure before.

Rose melted into the Doctors kiss, feeling her knees buckle, but he was there, holding her tightly in his arms. She fervently returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, their lips brushing together gently at first but then meeting fiercely as years of pent up passion took them over, trying to express their love, which no words could adequately describe.

Rose broke the contact after a few moments and put her forehead gently against the Doctors. She held onto his upper arms tightly, her legs still threatening to give way. They were both slightly dazed and grinning for ear to ear.

"Wow…" she managed to say, catching her breath, as she stood locked in her Doctors embrace, the music forgotten. She played idly with a few strands of his hair, lost in happiness of the moment.

"Not bad for my age, eh?" The Doctor pulled back, wrapping one arm casually around her waist and leaning back against the TARDIS console. He winked cheekily at her making her blush. "You know, I feel _soooo_ liberated! I love you! I LOVE YOU!" He yelled, pulling her around and around the console by the hand. "I LOVE ROSE TYLER!!!" He bellowed, the sound echoing around the TARDIS.

Rose giggled, smiling widely at him and then sharply pulled him back to her, pressing her body against his, making him gasp. Their laughter ceased and the air became heavy with lust and longing. The Doctors breathing was ragged, and Rose could feel his two hearts beating like wild fire against her. She looked into his captivating eyes, which were quickly clouding with desire, and then down to his damp parted lips…She kissed him hungrily, running her fingers through his hair. He kissed her back desperately and all jokes were forgotten….

_**And this journey that we're on**_

_**How far we've come, and I celebrate every moment**_

_**And when you say you love me**_

_**That's all you have to say…**_

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_**A/N**__ I don't own the lyrics to the song in this chapter, it's 'When you say you love me', sung by the lovely Josh Groban. Fantastic! If you don't know it you're missing out ; ) _


	15. Epilogue: Domestic Bliss

_**Disclaimer: **__Nope…still don't own it!_

_**A/N **__As promised the epilogue is here! I hope you all enjoy because I've gone through hell to get this up today…My Labrador puppy, little devil he is, chewed my laptop screen and now it's broken so I am computerless! (AGAIN!) This chapter comes to you courtesy of a memory stick and the university library…shhh!! Heehee! _

_I'll be sad to see this story go as it's my first real published fanfic. I just have to say a HUGE thank you to you guys who read, and especially those of you who review – you're the ones I write for! If you didn't read it there wouldn't be any point! I'm gonna make one more irritating appeal for reviews at the end of the chapter…I really want everyone's feedback on the epilogue and the story as a whole. There's a possibility of a sequell (see the end of the chapter)_

_ENJOY! _

**Epilogue – Domestic bliss**

The Doctor sighed and smiled lovingly at the blonde angel that had taken up residence in his bed. She was spooned against him, hair tousled and cheeks glowing. The sheets bunched around her naked form were rumpled from their recent activity. She was sleeping lightly, a smile spread over her features. He gently tucked a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear, wondering what he had done to deserve such a blessing, and how he could go from the depths of despair to heavenly bliss in less than twenty-four hours.

"Rose Tyler…" he said softly, a smile playing on his lips as he wrapped his arm around her waist, protectively. She was his soul-mate. She was his saviour.

Rose wasn't really sleeping. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the little attentions the Doctor lavished on her. She felt his arm around her waist, and his gentle fingers brushing her hair out of her face. He was amazing, and she felt like the luckiest woman in the universe. She wondered what she had done to deserve to be so happy, to be loved by someone as wonderful as the Doctor. She didn't know, and she didn't care…just as long as he was hers. He was her soul-mate. He was her hero.

Rose stirred, opening her eyes and looking up to see her Doctor smiling down at her, propped up by his elbow on his pillow.

"Hello." She said, rolling over and sitting up so that she could see him properly.

"Hello." He said, beaming at her before leaning in for a brief kiss. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"I wasn't really sleeping." She admitted, taking his hand and tracing patterns over the back of it with gentle fingers. "I just enjoyed the attention you were giving me when you thought I was."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Were my attentions to you when you were awake not good enough then?"

Rose grinned at him, her tongue at the corner of her lips. "Well…they weren't bad." She was teasing him, and he loved it.

"Not bad?!" He gasped, feigning indignation. "Oh that's it Rose Tyler…you're asking for it now!" He flipped her over and sat astride her under the sheets. She grinned up at him, taking hold of his arms. Then he started tickling her mercilessly and she squirmed underneath him, laughing uncontrollably, grabbing at his hands, although she didn't really want him to stop.

"What were you saying again?" He asked, grinning and relenting his assault for a moment.

"I was saying how you're a fantastic shag." Rose smiled innocently at him, raising her eyebrows.

The Doctor laughed, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I love you…"

"I love you too." Rose met his eyes, and melted as he leaned in and kissed her, pushing his hips against her. She moaned into his mouth, arching her back involuntarily, and he smiled wryly at her.

"You like this body, don't you?"

Rose nodded, and then mustered up her strength, flipping him over onto his back. She straddled his hips, a devilish grin on her face as she ran her hands down his chest. The Doctor closed his eyes, and let out a soft moan as Rose bent over and kissed him, her lips following the path of her hands. She grinned, enjoying the effect she had on him.

"Yes…" she said. "I do rather like this body. What was it Cassandra said?"

"Foxy…" He said, his face splitting into a toothy grin. He pulled Rose down to him so that she lay with her head pressed against his chest. She threw an arm across his stomach and relaxed in his arms, chuckling at the memory of Cassandra's brief possession of the Doctor. She placed another kiss on his chest, enjoying the comforting sound of his breathing and his hearts beating steadily whilst he gently stroked her back.

"I'm not gonna have this body forever, you know." The Doctor said, seriously, after a moment of comfortable silence.

Rose propped herself up to look at his face. "That doesn't matter. We got through a regeneration before – we can do it again."

He smiled "I know. But…I don't know what I'll look like. I may be old and wrinkly…" he screwed his face up, not really liking the idea. "Though I really don't want to be…been there and done that!"

"You know…" Rose said thoughtfully, tracing patterns over his chest with one finger. "If I was only concerned about the way you look, I would have run a mile when I saw those Dumbo ears from your last incarnation." She teased. 

"You just want me to tickle you again, don't you?" The Doctor laughed, unable to stop smiling at his beautiful Rose.

She sat up properly then, pulling the sheet around her. "But seriously. It doesn't matter. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"I think we may be lucky. Generally my regenerations have been getting younger…and more good looking." He clucked his tongue and winked at Rose.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and giggled. "You and your ego…"

The Doctor grinned, letting his hand slide down to the small of Rose's back. "You love it really...Anyway – I don't intend giving this body up any time soon…I think this is my favourite incarnation…"

"Hmm…like I said, I am _very_ fond of this body." Rose agreed, leaning over to steal a quick kiss.

"You are, are you?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Rose nodded.

"Better make the most of it while we can then…hadn't we?" He grinned wickedly, grabbing Rose's shoulders and pinning her down again, kissing her so passionately that for a moment she forgot everything. Nothing existed apart from the Doctor…his lips on hers, his hands roving her body. This was heaven.

Suddenly he pulled away, Rose whimpering at the loss of contact. He looked seriously at her for a moment.

"Be honest…" he said, furrowing his brow.

"About what?" Rose asked, stroking his cheek, gently.

"About what made you fall in love with me." He smiled his cheekiest smile. "It was the stripy jim-jams wasn't it?"

FIN

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_**A/N **__And there you have it! ; ) Hope you have all enjoyed the story. Thanks once again to EVERYONE who read it! Now…I need your help once more! _

_WHO WANTS A SEQUEL? _

_PLEASE…let me know if you'd like one. I've just finished my uni exams and am dying to write something, but I won't write it if you guys don't want to read it. Let me know! Plus any suggestions or ideas of what you'd like to see in a sequel etc. _

_If I get enough feedback on this then expect to see the start of another story in a week or so, once I've got my computer sorted. My other story 'trapped' is currently being written in my head and I'll be posting more of it as soon as my computer is fixed!_

_Love ya all!_

_Rach _


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